Thornton Abbey (HDR)

11. Thornton Abbey (HDR): This was once one of my favourite locations before English Heritage renovated it, began to charge for entry to the grounds and not just the Abbey and began to discourage photographers who use tripods. I made this image about two years ago when I began to experiment with high dynamic range (HDR) photography. I have attempted to photograph the gatehouse many times before and have always been disappointed with the results. The best light that illuminates the front of the gatehouse occurs in the afternoon, but causes a very dark shadow from the right which is distracting. Waiting until the evening eliminates the shadow but introduces another problem, the shadow of the photographer and tripod which is also distracting. Yes, this shadow can be cloned out but it is difficult. A HDR image can resolve the problem of the shadow of the wall through tone mapping using Photomatix. I have used this technique here and finally achieved the result I wanted, just before the restrictions on photographers were introduced at the site. Nikon D200 18-200mm lens ISO 100, 5 RAW images at. 1 stop intervals (0, +1 +2 –1 and –2 stops).