HDR doesn't always work, often if there is fast motion of any kind, it looks really spooky and has ghosting in it. It works here somehow, meaning the water was not moving terribly fast, and the light was bright enough to get good solid images.
Most true HDR photographers do their own merging of multiple images from cameras that can take far more shots in a second than something as basic as a phone camera. That said, the quality can often be very impressive when compared side-by-side with regular photos off the phone, especially under conditions where the landscape is still, and the lighting is good.
So what is this photo of? From what limited knowledge I have of water-living species I would hazard a guess that this is algae growing on this rock. Quite mesmerizing to look at when there in person.
This was taken at Rock Point Provincial Park. There are many fossilized creatures exposed at Rock Point, which I will share some HDR photos of those soon.
