HDR - To Plunge, Or Not To Plunge?

This first shot was taken in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.  I think it's a decent shot, in terms of composition, contrast in color, highlights and shadows, difference in foreground and background...

As much as I strive to go out and shoot, discover, explore, try out camera settings and see what the changes in camera lead to... There are plenty of days where it's too cold, too dark, where I don't want to go out and shot, but I still want to push forward and try new things.

One of those "new things" is HDR photography.  In nutshell, I'm intrigued by the possibilities of using programs and plug-ins like Topaz Adjust (which I used - truth be told - with a built-in preset) to "make" the image below, but I really want to be the best photographer I can be  by "getting it right in the camera"... 

So, really, I guess it's a matter of just pushing forward, experimenting, finding a sense of balance between "getting it right in the camera" and "tweaking in the digital darkroom", finding my own voice, and learning as I go...


Nikon D7000, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR