What is HDR?

For a while now I have heard people talk about the term HDR.  The images produced using this technique are very interesting and often really dramatic.  HDR is short for high dynamic range.  It basically involves combing 3 of more photographs of differing exposures to produce a single image.  3 photographs being the minimum number of images that should be combined and 5-7 images being more ideal.  This single resultant image will produce detail in both the lighter and darker, highlight and shadow, areas of a photograph.  This high dynamic range includes the tone detail between the light and dark portion of the image.  


HDR can be used to produce extreme artistic photos and can also be used to properly expose details in different parts of an image.  Photographers that are purist may not necessarily like the idea of automatically merging several images to produce one final image.  This does technique can delve into graphic arts a bit.     Although this style or technique may not necessarily be for everyone, it definitely has its place.  HDR images appear in magazines more than we may realize.  The more mainstream images utilize HDR to properly expose the inside of a dark room as well as properly expose the scene outside the bright window.  If you flip through any architecture magazine, you will more than likely see an image like the above described.


The following is a more extreme example of utilizing photoshop to automatically merge several images.  This sort of dramatic image is obviously digitally altered which is not always the case with HDR.


To create an HDR image that will have an effect, it is important to find a scene that has quite a contrast of light and dark tones.  Once the scene is chosen the next step is to set up the tripod, compose the scene and leave the camera in the same place.  Exposure compensations of -2, -1, 0, 2, 2 are photographed.  The resulting images can be viewed below.

There are many ways to create an HDR image.  Adobe Photoshop 5 makes it extremely easy to merge HDR Photos.  This is one of many rendering software programs that can accomplish this HDR task.  To accomplish this in Adobe Photoshop 5:

1) Select File

2) Select Automate

3) Select Merge to HDR Pro

4) Browse Files and Upload the photos to be merged

5) Click ok and watch photoshop complete its magic merge

6) After the image is merged, you have the option of manipulating many factors like contrast, and exposure.  It is also possible to change the style from custom to other styles like surreal or monochromatic.

After adding the images in Photoshop, merging, and manipulating this is how my final image turned out.  You can see how the underside of the dark carousel as well as the light national mall buildings in the background both have properly exposed tonals represented in this HDR image.

This style of photography definitely is a different type of art form then traditional photography.


If you are a fan of or would like to see more HDR photography, I recommend checking out the following blog: Tanya Tomshyna Photography .  She has a unique HDR style that has a really neat graphic novel/comic book sort of feel.  Her pictures of New York and Georgetown definitely inspired me to try this technique.  Check the images out and I am sure you will feel the same way.

Today's take-away:

                                                                                                                               
1) HDR is a great way to highlight detail in both dark and light parts of an image. 


2) Photoshop is one of many software programs that makes it really easy to create HDR images.


3) Play around with HDR to increase the range of light and dark tones in an image as well as produce dramatic images.  It definitely can't hurt and you may just like it.


4) Dramatic HDR images really make you feel like you need to illustrate a graphic novel.
                                                                                                                                

Happy Photographing!

Using Motion to Enhance an Image

When photographing with my older point and shoot camera, the effect of motion was never something I gave much thought.  This is probably because capturing or blurring motion wasn't something that was able to be controlled.  With the DSLR, we have the ability to control so many more factors of an image that it can almost be overwhelming.  In addition to the contribution of shutter speed to exposure, through varying the shutter speed it is possible to either freeze motion or introduce blur into an image.  The amount of motion introduced is up to the photographer. 


If motion is introduced into an image, it is important that the introduction is obvious and intentional to enhance the image, not that the image is just out of focus or contains camera shake.  Typically for images photographed without flash, if the shutter speed is faster than 1/(focal length), camera shake will be eliminated.  The motion organic to an image and camera shake are two separate cases.  In this post we are talking about the organic motion only.  Leaving some parts of the image sharp will accomplish the task of guaranteeing the motion was intentional.  The hard part of introducing motion into just a portion of the image can be determining how fast the subject is moving.  In many cases several shots will need to be taken to help determine the rate of motion. 


When I went out for this walk in Georgetown along the canal my intention was not to look for subjects with motion.  The nice thing about not having a specific subject in mind is that you can wander and photograph whatever inspires you.  This experience it happened to be the ducks.  I don't know much about duck patterns but this was really something to watch.  The ducks would stand up out of the water and flap their wings wildly.  In some cases it looked like the ducks were conducting a symphony.  Introducing motion really helps bring out some emotion.

 

 
The amount of motion introduced into an image can, in some cases, detract from an image, and in other cases really improve an image.  Generally, if the subject is in motion, a more interesting image results if some motion is introduced.  In the end it is really just a matter of personal opinion.



So next time you are going to photograph a subject in motion think about adding a little blur to your image, you may just like the result...

Happy Photographing