Getting into High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography

Sep 2, 2012 by EmeritaStandford743

One of the most interesting kinds of photography you can do is HDR photography. It is a fun process to do, and you can get some really impressive results from them, however the method has got a bad reputation due to the quantity of over the top, and uninviting outcomes that many individuals produce. However HDR, done appropriately, can produce sensational visuals that border between unique and genuine. But when going out on a shoot to obtain your pictures for HDR processing, constantly take an extra NB-2L battery with you so you do not lose power when out.

When you are out on a shoot:

1. Take your camera, additional battery (totally charged), spare sd card and a tripod.

2. Choose your location of composition.

3. Set your video camera up to take 3 to 5 shots at different exposure brackets. Take the shots instantly one after the other so that there are as couple of changes as possible.

4. Take even more series of shots from the location you are in so you have a great choice of images to produce your HDR images with.

Once you are back at your home computer.

1. Download the images to your pc.

2. Choose the very best composition.

3. Open your HDR software application (Photomatix, Photoshop etc).

4. Import the series of pictures.

5. The program will then blend the images together to produce one image with all the different exposures. This indicates you have the power to emphasize part of the picture that is darker, lower areas which are too light and produce a better well balanced image.

The main issue with HDR is that at this point, individuals tend to get carried away (I know I did on my first attempt). The outcome is that the images look absolutely artificial, overdone and very uninspiring. Really often there is a radiance around buildings or trees which is more obvious due to the technique, and this makes it very obvious that the creator is a novice.

My beloved types of HDR work are the ones which are borderline between the genuine and unique. This indicates that you can easily see that the technique has actually been applied, however the results are marginal, and the technique has enhanced the quality of the picture rather than turned it into some dream.

Thats not to state that if a dream result is desired, then the method can easily still be applied well. Prevent the beautiful trees and buildings by making small adjustments, and the effect will certainly be good.

Remember, that the composition is still the most important part of the process, HDR is simply the device utilized to provide this media. In some cases, the fun with HDR comes by making use of the technique to produce an amazing picture, but when the customer considers the result, they do not recognize it is an HDR, simply simply a fantastic picture.

The main points to remember when going out on an HDR shoot is to take a tripod with you. You should additionally carry an additional sd card and a spare NB-2L battery too, since bear in mind, you will certainly be taking up to five times as lots of shots as you typically would to catch the scene in five different illumination areas.

If you find yourself in need of a NB-2L this one is available on Amazon.com and I highly recommend it.