Weekend in Stockholm; a series in HDR

[Acapulco]

Hey all... I've recently been to my country's capital, Stockholm. Returning after 8 years away from it.

This thread is going to be composed out of HDRs I made while there. All the pictures are taken hand-held with my recently purchased Nikon D50 with a standard 18-55 lens.

The pictures have certain elements of a HDR that may or may not be required, and that is lack of sunshine. There was only greyness all around.
Anyhow. I hope you enjoy the first picture in my series and that you'll stick with it till the end.

I will not SPAM this thread with pictures. I hope that I can be conservative with the picture posting and give each pick. a fighting chance to at least be seen for a while
Some subjects may involve two pictures, which should mean that the HDR's have been done using two separate programs.

If you have ANYTHING to say, then SAY IT! I'm not afraid of getting punched in the face for making a real hash of it all, and for that matter, I'm also keen at appreciating positive critique, if there is some


THIS POST IS ONLY TEXT FOR INTRODUCTION. FUTURE POSTS WILL HAVE PICTURES

[Acapulco]

Karl XII Statue

ISO 800, Hand-held

[Bynx]

Nice balanced shot Acapulco. Next time you go take a chain saw and remove a couple of those trees behind dear Karl. hehehe

[Acapulco]

Thanks Bynx , It wouldn't work with a grungy look IMO
Hahahahaha yeah, that would give him some more breathing space.

[Acapulco]

Horse Statue, Grevegatan, Beside Kungsträdgården

Taken 100 meters away from Karl XII statue.

Very subtle HDR, but still, it gives the image much more presence.

[Bynx]

Interesting shot. I love the horse. If I was a kid you'd never get me off it. Is the brick like pattern on the back half of the horse the construction lines of the body itself. Or is it some kind of reflection? And whats the story with the horse?

[Walter_S]

Hello, Acapulco!
Good to see some of your works again.

I think you pictured Karl 12 pretty good. I really like the surrounding tree-crown, but didn't like the sky too much. Its greyness looks a bit gloomy and bleak and affects the statue as well. May-be try to lighten the face and hand of Karl #12 or dodge him a bit....?


The horse-statue I like.

I think (I havn't been there, so I wouldn't know, really...) I might have tried a somewhat different position to photograph it from. Just a bit more to the left, and crouching down some more to get the horses head and neck free of the houses as to fill most of the "V"-shape of sky with the mass of the statue.

But then I'm not you and viceversa - that's just how things are and we all look at different things here in life!

I am really looking forward to se more of your series as I'm quite sure we have a lot in common when it comes to seeing motives.

[Acapulco]

Originally Posted by Bynx

Interesting shot. I love the horse. If I was a kid you'd never get me off it. Is the brick like pattern on the back half of the horse the construction lines of the body itself. Or is it some kind of reflection? And whats the story with the horse?

Thanks for the great comment, Bynx It is not a reflection, it seems to have gotten a nice texture to it

Closeup of the horse

Originally Posted by Walter_S

I think you pictured Karl 12 pretty good. I really like the surrounding tree-crown, but didn't like the sky too much. Its greyness looks a bit gloomy and bleak and affects the statue as well. May-be try to lighten the face and hand of Karl #12 or dodge him a bit....?

I agree fully with what you say and because of my nature, I sent him through the HDR process yet again.. This time in Dynamix Photo. Here's the result.

Hope you like this as well

Here's a filler photo. Closeup HDR of the Horse.

[Bynx]

That closeup just adds mystery to my question. I dont know how they caste large statues like this. Im sure they are hollow and don in sections. But the bricklike pattern showing on the back half makes me think it was done in even much smaller pieces than I imagined. Could it really have been put together like a puzzle? Also who is the horse and why is he famous enough to deserve to be made immortal?

[Acapulco]

Here's the last picture I have of this horse. Non HDR this one, but you MAY or MAY NOT see the horse the way you want better.



MAJOR UPDATE ON THE HORSE STATUE

First off. I released the wrong street name. It's not Grevegatan, it is called Blasieholmstorg. Not anything spectacular, but still.
Here's the exciting news... IMO ...The horse is a direct replica of the horses on Piazza San Marco in the Venice...
Here's some info about the horses resided in Venice:

The Horses of Saint Mark were installed on the basilica in about 1254. They date to Classical Antiquity; by some accounts they once adorned the Arch of Trajan. The horses were long displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinople, and in 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo sent them back to Venice as part of the loot sacked from Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade. They were brought to Paris by Napoleon in 1797 but returned to Venice in 1815. After a long restoration, since the 1990s they have been kept in St Mark’s Museum (inside the basilica). The horses now on the facade of the cathedral are bronze replicas.

The original horses have been dated back to somewhere between 300 B.C and 300 A.D

The two horses in Stockholm (one at each ending of the street) have been residents there since 1989.