HDR Photography

[absolutsnwbrdr]

If you've never heard of HDR photography, then here's a link to some info on it. Normally the amount of detail that an image can show is limited by aperture and shutter speed. HDR basically allows you to show a lot of detail in both dark shadows and bright highlights in the same image.

I got into this technique about a year ago, starting by reading a couple books about it. After that I dove right in and starting taking my own....


A few from camping trips @ Rock Run:

[absolutsnwbrdr]

The Cathedral of Learning, at the University of Pittsburgh:



Inside of Heinz Chapel, in Pittsburgh PA:



The Pittsburgh Panther:

[absolutsnwbrdr]

and a few more...





@ the New England Forest Rally:

[absolutsnwbrdr]

ooooh.... almost forgot this one....

At Assateague Island in Marlyand.... camping on the beach

[steve smoot]

Zach,

Those are really good pictures, too bad I don't know what your talking about...HDR there's something else for us old folks to figure out...honey, where did I put the Brownie Hawkeye?

[IndyTom]

Very cool. Those are awesome images. You have a really great eye.
I have never heard of this before. I can't wait to get home and see if my digital camera has AEB.

Tom

[caseydog]

The concept of HDR has been around for a long time. I merged multiple exposures in the darkroom as a college student 30 years ago. What a PITA that was.

It is a lot easier now, with digital cameras and Photoshop. I use HDR techniques occasionally in my work, but I find that if it is pushed too far, the photos look fake. I try not to push it that far, myself. Just a personal preference.

I have used Photoshops built in HDR tools, but often, I stack my own layers, and cut, erase and copy/paste to get the look I want. It takes a lot longer, but I think you can get a more realistic looking photos that way, if the photo lends itself to that treatment.

CD

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Thanks guys!

I find that if it is pushed too far, the photos look fake. I try not to push it that far, myself. Just a personal preference.
CD

I do agree Casey. The pictures I posted are basically in chronological order, and do show some progression from extreme to modest. I've certainly found that while it does create a cool effect, they can be overprocessed and overdone.

[chorizon]

Cathy (cdfnchico) tooks some pretty neat photos a while back that had many people guessing how she did it:



I downloaded some HDR software after seeing these pics, I just haven't messed with it...yet. Really neat pics, thanks for sharing!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Here's an example of how HDR starts....

1 over-exposed, one typical, and one underexposed picture:



Merged together and tweaked yield this:

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Very nice pictures Cathy took!

[cdfnchico]

Thanks guys! I bracket shoot for HDR in almost all of my landscape shooting...I like them to look realistic with a bit of something extra...so folks wonder..."Is that real?"!

My most hit on photo on Flickr...shot last year in Yosemite..a five exposure HDR image...



And from last week's trip...another 5 image HDR...22 degrees was a little chilly in the tear!

[caseydog]

Cathy. The top photo shows a lot of skill, but it doesn't talk to me. It doesn't seem real.

Now, the bottom photo does. That shows the real benefits of HDR, in my view. The sky looks real, the mountains look real -- basically, this kind of use of HDR lets the camera show the kind of tonal range that the human eye coupled to the human brain can.

CD

[eaglesdare]

wow, i am now going to have to check into this.

[Ivar the Red]

Here's one I played with on Picnik

Before...


After...