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Category: Exposure Settings

Photography Question 

Debbie Crowe 		 

HDR Exposure: Please Explain


I am hearing so much about HDR and the pictures I see are really stunning. Am I to understand this is basically not much more than "bracketing"? I saw a post where someone did HDR with 11 exposures and got the "perfect" picture. Can you give me more details on this? Thank you!


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August 08, 2008

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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Gregory LaGrange's Gallery 		  Yes, glorified bracketing.
To put it in plain language, HDR (high dynamic range) means you make different exposures for all the wide ranges of bright and dark parts of a scene, because a camera can't get what your eyes have the ability to get.
And then you use layers to erase and combine all the parts that hold detail and you can make a picture that shows everything. And you can make it look realistic or unrealistic (some people will say surreal)
You can think of it as reaching your arms out to the side and blocking a hall way. You can't cover wall to wall, you can only cover a certain portion by shifting side to side.
But if you add a separate person and link hand to hand, you can hold on to more of what passes your way.


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August 08, 2008

 

Debbie Crowe 		  Thanks Greg. But then after you take all the exposures, do you have to use software to blend into one picture? that sounds kind of complicated. any suggested software if someone wanted to try it? I have photoshop elements 6.0 but I am still learning the very basics on this and would not even attempt in such complicated software.
thank you again.


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August 08, 2008

 

W. 		 
Hi Debbie,

you can do it in PSE if it's got 'layers'. I think PSE does. Of course CS3 does too.

Here are 2 short videos that may be interesting to budding HDR togs:

"shooting for HDR": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJS6X-pHTNg

and

Learn High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography : Setup and Shooting Exposures for HDR Photography: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdqKL22NUHk
(you may have to turn up the sound on this last one)


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August 08, 2008

 

Donna L. Cuic 		 
 
BetterPhoto.com All Time Best Photo Contest Editor's Pick BetterPhoto.com Photo Contest SECOND PLACE Winner   Remember When
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Taken at Pinellas County Heritage Village in Largo, FL. 5 images combined into one in Photomatix Pro. 17-40 lens at 17mm f.8

Donna L. Cuic

  
 
HDR is so much more than you can do in Photoshop also. Ben Wilmore has a DVD on it and he has done some pretty spectacular images. And BP's very own Tony Sweet has done some incredible images using HDR, check out his website. HDR is so so so much more, when you tonemap it in Photomatix its incredible what you can do with your several exposures. This image here is a blending 5 exposures -2, -1 - +1 +2 then tonemapped in Photomatix. I am still learning and playing with HDR, not all scenes look good. This pic of this old car is one of my favorites so far.
~Donna


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August 12, 2008

 
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