HDR - High Dynamic Range Photography

It's catching on like wildfire!  What is it?  A relatively new and ever changing technique that involves making different exposures of a scene,  then manipulating them in special software that can compress a wide range of tonal values into a single photograph and / or create a surrealistic look to your photograph.

There are two areas where this technique really shines - 1) In a high contrast scene, such as a landscape, or building interior with bright windows, and 2) any subject that you want to create a surreal, artistic look to.

Highlight Exposure

Mid Tone Exposure

Shadow Exposure

Final HDR Photo

                                                                                                                  

How does it work?  In say, a high contrast scene, your camera can only capture an EV range of 6-8 stops (more or less) in a single capture.  Some high contrast scenes, for example,  may have a range of 15  EV (exposure values) in it.  By making a series of exposures (usually 3 -5) at one or two stops apart you're able to capture details in each area of the scene ( shadow, mid-tone, and highlight ).  These photos are best shot from a tripod so that they'll be registered and aligned when you merge them later in HDR software. 

Once these images are imported and merged into the HDR software, slider adjustments allow you to control areas such as brightness, color, contrast and various other settings.  The subject matter,  as well as your personal preferences determine how these adjustments are applied.  For example, a commercial interior shot for an advertisement would need to be adjusted and processed for a realistic look whereas an old abandoned building shot for fine art purposes may benefit from more extreme adjustments that have that surreal look and feel to it.

Most, if not all images need and benefit from additional, final tweaking in Photoshop after the HDR process.  Adjustments such as color, contrast, spotting, and sharpening are usually most effective in Photoshop.

Highlight Exposure

 

 

 

Mid Tone Exposure

Shadow Exposure

Final HDR Photo

REAL WORLD HDR TIPS

•   Shoot from a tripod with a cable release to avoid camera movement/shake.
•   Shoot in Manual or Aperture Priority mode.  Shutter speed varies-Aperture does not.
•   Shoot enough exposures to ensure details are held throughout the extremes of the tonal range.
•   Use Manual focus to avoid  focus search between exposures.
•   Shoot RAW or highest quality JPEGs for best image quality.
•   Experiment with the extreme adjustments with the sliders in the Tone Mapping process for     different looks and effects.

Some of the HDR software options are;  Photomatix, Nik, and FDR to name a few.  They all pretty much work the same way and accomplish the same results.  Most have trial downloads which is a great way to run them and see if they fit your workflow and vision.

HDR has unlimited potential for creative fine art as well as real world commercial applications.  I encourage you to download some trial software, and explore this exciting process!


Happy HDR Shooting!   Michael