I saw these in my parking today and figured I would do a couple macro - HDR - black and white photography

Nice shots... what kind of lens/camera did you use for them? Great quality shots. The only thing I would suggest is flipping the Bud can over so you can see the logo and the main part of the can, not the UPC and nutrition facts. It would probably make a unique looking beer poster or something if you were able to get the logo... almost like it is branded on a piece of silk or something. Perhaps you don't want to touch cans in a Philadelphia parking lot. If that is the case, smart man.

Great shots! I never thought to do black and white HDR, especially with something as simple as a soda can. I am probably going to steak your idea, just to see what I can come up with.

Nice job!

~Jeff

what's HDR?

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The Dream Police, they live inside of my head

HDR Stands for High Dynamic Range. It is composed of at least three shots, sometimes more. You take one shot that is properly exposed (highlighting the mid-tones), one shot that is underexposed (highlighting the light areas) and one shot that is overexposed (highlighting the darker areas). These shots are taken from the exact same spot without the camera or the subject moving at all.

The three (or more) photos are then merged in a computer program (Photoshop or similar). The highlighted parts of each image work together in order to form a photograph where everything (the lights, darks and mid-tones) are all perfectly exposed and visible. It can really lead to some interesting effects when used properly.

Here is a link to wikipedia's definition, which has some great examples of underexposed, overexposed and properly exposed (the metal balls toward the bottom of the article):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

Here is a quick tutorial on how to do it:
http://www.vanilladays.com/hdr-guide/
Even if you aren't planning doing it, it is worth a quick look to see a good example of how it's done.

Also, try doing a flickr search for photos tagged with HDR:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=hdr
There are all kinds of interesting effects that can be accomplished with HDR.

Hope I answered your question.

I just went through the Color at Night thread, but this was a very helpful summary. Thanks!

__________________
The Dream Police, they live inside of my head

The camera is a Nikon D70 with a 50mm Sigma macro lens.

That was actually the better side of the bud can. I'm sure I'll be able to find a better one.

That Sigma lens looks pretty nice. I am pretty new to photography, and have recently found an interest in macro and need a few suggestions on the type of lens to get. I have a Canon XTi with the stock lens (18-55mm or whatever it is) and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM telephoto lens.

I can get that Sigma 50mm f/2.8 with a Canon mount for an alright price, the only thing that makes me nervous is the inability to zoom with the lens. I have never had a fixed lens before, so I guess that is something that I just have to get over and learn how to use a fixed lens. Perhaps I will be uncomfortable, but maybe it is worth a shot. I guess the advantage of the fixed 50mm is that I can take normal non-macro pictures with it (like portraits/snapshots and things of that nature).

I don't mean to hijack your "can" thread, but I thought this might be a good place to ask you, since those are some wonderful shots. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

GADZOOKS!
~Jeff

A good "fixed" or "prime" lens will result in better photos than with a "zoom". I've had this lens for three years and love it but if I had to buy a macro lens again I would get a 105mm or 150 mm so I could be further away when taking shots.

.....and parking ticket