Disco in the Desert at Dusk <HDR>
Went out to shoot the sunset recently, because we had a few clouds overhead (which is considered a weather event here in AZ!) and those usually make for nice, vibrant skies at dusk. Looking for a spot to set up I came across this cactus, which appeared to be in a disco pose à la John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever (or whatever). So I decided to throw on the 12-24 and capture the saguaro impressionist.
Because I didn't think a silhouette would show the cactus doing its best Bee Gees move, and I didn't have adequate lighting to illuminate while shooting directly into the sunset taking place in the background, I went with HDR.
This is a 7-exposure HDR ranging from -2EV to +4EV. I needed the extra stops over to get enough light and detail on the shady side of the cactus; going to -3EV went nearly black so 2 stops were enough. Blended and tone mapped in Photomatix Pro 3 then further processed in CS3. A lot of work for what is essentially a snapshot (random find).