The Wild World of HDR

I was recently introduced into HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography courtesy of my new Flickr addiction. I am now thoroughly obsessed with it. You use a software of choice to merge multiple exposures of the same photograph together to capture lost highlights and ensure shadows stay deep. Tone mapping combined with bracketed exposures allow you to give the impression of a high dynamic range. Often, these images appear almost surreal...dependent upon the settings you choose. Right now, I love the surreal look because it gives the images more of an "artsy" feel that is different than your standard digital photograph. Below are a couple of samples I did off of some Cleveland photos I made. Let me know what you think!