MFP: Trey Ratcliff & disliking HDR

Trey Ratcliff is a HDR photographer, whose work ranges from land to cityscapes and a lot of in between. After looking at a few HDR specialized photographers when my project was based on film-stills, I was surprised by Ratcliffs work. I feel his images are very over edited, and take it to the point where it completely distracts the viewer from the actual subject of the image. For example, I feel that when compared, my images of horses contain much more colour and detail than the image above. When looking through his work, I was drawnat first to his successful images, yet I found these poorer images. I feel that HDR photography is an excessive editing technique; one that focuses the viewer on the technicality as apposed to the subject of the image. After attempting some HDR and failing miserably I may be biased, but I feel a simple photograph,if shot properly can be a much more successful piece of work. I do understand that certain occasions call for this technique in order to balance out the lighting in a shot, and in this occasion, if done delicately will resemble a straight forward image. I feel work that is so over edited is not using HDR to produce a great picture, it is to advertise that it is HDR.