Autumn Mirror - Lake Waramaug State Park, Kent, Connecticut

This is another in my series of re-editing older photos that were poorly processed by me in the past. This one may be my worst processed photo ever with a "cringe" factor of 10 (out of 10). The original photo was shot in 2009 and was processed during my early HDR phase. I sometimes say that I don't know what I was thinking back then and the original proves it. HDR has gotten a bad reputation for over processing photos. Don't believe me? Just do a search on "I hate HDR" and you will find a myriad of poorly processed photos. I wouldn't be surprised if you find my photo there because it is dreadful. That would be a shame as the subject is not at fault here, only the editing.

The subject in this case, shows off the beauty of the foliage in New England that is renowned. Lake Waramaug is about an hour from my house and is a gorgeous setting for the foliage, often resulting in some beautiful reflections. It is, in fact, my favorite local place to shoot foliage. Hopefully, now that I have re-edited the photo, its beauty comes out to you.

On a side note, you might have gotten the impression that I hate HDR. I don't. I have learned over the years to properly process HDR photos. I don't do it often anymore, as the more modern software and camera sensors have gotten to the point that it is not necessary. There are certain situations where HDR is required. The way I look at it now, HDR is just another tool in my toolbox.

The Original