A relatively new concept or methodology in the world of photography is that of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images. Let me begin by saying that I am by no means a master of creating HDR photos, but I understand the basic concept and I think it’s worth sharing with those of you who are in the dark, no pun intended.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
The main benefit of an HDR image is that it allows you to capture detail in all areas of a high contrast scene such as the one above by Flickrite beforethecoffee. Had he exposed for only the monuments you would not have been able to see the detail in the dark water or the brick wall. If he had exposed the shot for the dark water, the monuments would have been overexposed and blown out. Instead he took a series of (3 to x) photos at different exposures and used software such as Photoshop to blend them together so that you see detail in all areas of the photo without anything being under or overexposed. Pretty cool, huh? Depending on how many exposures you blend together and your skill in doing so, you can end up with a subtle HDR image…
…or a very dramatic one that looks more like a painting than a photo:
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If you’re interested in learning more about creating your own HDR photos there are a bazillion tutorials on the web, including one by beforethecoffee himself. Be sure to check out his Flickr stream as well as Oblivious Dude’s for more HDR fun.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
