HDR?

I am not a fan of most HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos. It can be an interesting effect, but it's too often overdone. The resulting photo just doesn't look real to me. Thankfully, the growing trend now is to use HDR to get a more realistic looking photo, avoiding the over processed look that is usually associated with the technique.

Guitar Player, Waynesville, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

The above photo was taken at dusk in very dim light. The original photo was not only a little under-exposed, but also a little soft due to both camera and subject movement at a slower shutter speed. While experimenting with different techniques to come up with a decent photo, I came up with this HDR looking effect. My initial reaction to this version was, "Way overdone!", but then it began to grow on me. The fact that it is obviously over-processed seemed to work with the subject in this case. Another example of "There are no rules in photography".