I used to play around with HDR a lot more before I joined this forum than I do now. I have had mixed results with it - a lot of shots where I can't overly tell it's a HDR image - which are, far and away, the ones I like most. But then, I also have taken an abundance of shots that are really obviously HDR too. Which sometimes I don't mind, other times I really dislike. The problem is, I can't seem to figure out what it is I did with the ones I do like, compared to the ones I don't like. I follow a pretty standard method, using familiar settings each time... but I consistently get different results.

If I could truly master it, so that every time I presented a HDR image it looked 'real enough' to be a single image, I'd be happy. But at the moment I'm trying really hard to steer away from it. My one concern is being somewhere for what may be the only time I'm there and missing out on what could be a super shot. So I often find myself taking a photo with the settings I like, and then taking the same photo in 3 bracketted shots... just in case. It can mean a lot of time wasted in post processing, but that's just where I'm at at the moment. I certainly don't do it all the time, but just in those moments where I know the lighting is hard to handle and I don't want to miss out.