Simpsons TSN P8 Phyl 196/200
Gillette 47-50 Aristocrat
Personna Med Prep
GP G20 Scuttle (just arrived yesterday courtesy a B&B member -- truly wonderful)
Leica M8
CV 15mm Superwide Heliar
Leica tabletop tripod & large ballhead
Some sleight of hand
Dries, I have never used HDR. I agree that it gives less then stellar results.
These images are simply maniplated in the curves, color channels, and sharpness parameters in Apple Aperture. They are intended to be highly stylized fantasias. You don't really believe that I would shave my own delightful visage using a rusty razor, do you? Nor do I make a habit of shaving the faces of antique phrenology figurines. Nor can you see through my hand in real life.
No HDR here. I wouldn't know how to use it if I had it.
Here's a crop of that same image straight out of the camera:
And, another. Same image, cropped tighter and now with the curves manipulated only slightly to open the shadows and tone down the blown highlights.
Leica M8, CV 15mm Superwide Heliar.
1 sec. exp. @ f22 under tungsten light and some ambient light through a window.