Flatiron building through my lens

Gooderham Building of Toronto, more commonly known as Flatiron building, was the first Flatiron building in North America. It was built in 1892 for a cost of $18000! Other Flatiron buildings are located in Atlanta and New York. You can find more info about this building in Wikipedia.

Every time I pass by this building I notice at least one photographer in the vicinity trying to capture the beautiful ornaments and subtle red brickwork contrasted against the backdrop of tall bank towers. This is such an iconic building in Toronto that I had to get my own shot. I wanted to create something that would pay tribute to the designers and architects while maintaing the true essence this building has come to represent. I am not sure how much I have succeeded.



Original Image in RAW



I didn't have a tripod with me, so I was left with no choice but to capture single RAW images. From the original shot you can see the details on the sky is completely blown out. The overall picture looks very dull. The image in my head was one of red/orange glow with subtly toned background. (On a side note: from studying professional photographers I have learned that you should envision the final result in your mind and try to get as close as possible with your image). Photomatix did the trick of bringing out red, but it also darkend the sky, as is the case with daytime HDR images. The sky on the original shot also didn't have very many details, so I couldn't use it to remix. I opted for Photoshop Dodge tool to lighten the sky. Then I desaturated whole image masking out the main subject to preseve red/orange glow. I also removed the distracting utility cable on the left. Here is the final product.




Final product, click to see larger version

 By the way, I don't post before and after images to brag about my Photoshop skills, actually far from it. My intention is to show you the potential of HDR and encourage you to give it a try. I think you will agree the final image looks much better than original, after applying a few tricks. This image ranks high on my personal favourite list. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.