HDR (High Dynamic Range), is a software based, photographic technique that extracts tonal information from multiple exposures of the same shot. If you exposure bracket the same shot, you can merge all 3 images into one, then, using the data from all 3, create one output file which preserves accurate details from all exposures, bringing out highlights from the shadows.
I shot my images in RAW format as there is greater exposure data per image, using automatic bracketing (Bracketing is a technique of taking a few shots in sequence using different camera exposure settings) this gave me 3 shots with the brightest hightlights, detailed midtones and the darkest shadows. Using Photomatix Pro I imported the 3 differently exposed shots and generated a HDR file. Once a HDR file was created I was able to adjust Black and White input values and control how much contrast and detail was applied to the final image.
This technique enables you to recreate realistic scenes as the eye saw it, not as the camera saw it. It even makes photos from cloudy days interesting, instead of having a mass of white in the sky, you can actually see thunderous clouds in all their glory.
There’s plenty of scope for experimentation with HDR and I’m sure some of my more interesting results will find their way on to this page in the near future.
Visit Darren’s Flickr page for more HDR experimentation
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