I had never heard of HDR until this challenge was announced. I scrambled like mad to learn and give it a try. I hope this is right.
Took shots with several extreme exposures varying only the shutter speed.
Combined two of them using PS merge to HDR.
Adjusted the white point
Cropped
Adjusted the exposure and gamma
Smart Sharpened
Converted to 8-bit mode
Used a few adjustment layers (levels, color, saturation)
Resized
Added border
Saved for web.
I was disappointed that the carousel didn't have any real point of focus. It was rather flat and confusing. But unlike many viewers, I like the fence. I like the highlights created by the HDR along the fence and in the foliage in the background, and I like the way the lights of the carousel pop out, giving the whole shot a feeling of fantasy. This was a fun experiment with a technique I'd like to use more.
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Great subject, with colors and shine. But the fence is in-your-face distracting when I want to see the carousel - consider moving up or closer. Also revisit your tone mappings, your choices seem overdone and too unnatural.
There's too much going on in this image, with no central point of interest. The processing also seems a bit harsh, particularly on the foliage in the background.
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