Creating a HDR image is simple with Photomatix software.  I took the three pictures at the bottom with my CanonT3i.  I set the exposure to 1 1/3 stops over and under exposures.  The  3 shots will be normal exposure then under and then over.  I used the 2 second timer and pushed the shutter and held very still.  The 3 shots happen as quick as the camera can shoot them and all I have to do it hold very still so they they match up.  Yes a tripod would be much better but I don’t carry a tripod with me every where but I do take my camera everywhere.

I loaded the three pictures into Photomatix and selected from the options it gave and selected the one that I liked the best then I moved a few of the slider to enhance the features I wanted to highlight.  This one I only adjusted the black point a little more for the dramatic look.

In each of the original pictures you will notice something is not exposed correctly.  The dark regions are black in one and in another the greens beyond the bridge are over exposed.  HDR helps to make a photograph look more like what your eye can see, which is a far greater range of light than any camera is capable of capturing.