Experimentation leads to new techniques

So, I came across a new style/technique for photography called HDR (High Dynamic Range), and it is basically shooting the same picture three times (or more), with sequential underexposure on one, one standard, and overexposure.  Once you have your .jpegs or .raw, you then merge them together to get a much rather different picture. 

The best way I can explain it is this:

This is your standard, run of the mill picture, taken with a Canon EOS T3i.

The picture above looks normal, right?  No post processing has been done to it, nothing.  Now, below is the exact same picture, except it has been taken 5 times, each one with a different exposure setting, then merged into one picture.

Immediately, you can see the depth and vibrance exhibited in this picture.  It took me a while to actually soak it all in and notice the subtle nuances.  Was I looking at something surreal, like what I imagine my dreams look like, or was it some sort of optical illusion?

See, the fact that the human eye can detect, subconsciously, atmospheric and light changes that are minuscule, the camera lenses just can not do that.  In many ways, the eye is capable of adjusting the exposure as it pleases and at far greater detail that even the most expensive cameras. 

While I know some of you are going to call shenanigans and say it was photoshopped, I will agree.  All pictures were merged into the same picture.  However, there was no tweaking of adjustments, no filters, no airbrushing.  This is an actual picture.