HDR Photography Photo Workshop
by Pete Carr, Robert Correll
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pete Carr, Robert CorrellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-09
ISBN: 0470412992
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of HDR Photography Photo Workshop
Book Review: Expand Your Horizons
Summary: 5 Stars
What is HDR photography? High Dynamic Range, or HDR photography is a technique to make pictures look the way we see. If you've struggled with high contrast environments, neutral density filters, or just plain gave up getting a good image in "contrasty situations" take a look at these images. HDR can often "retune" the camera's response to a human's visual response.
There is another aspect to HDR which I will call imaginary. Some HDR images are more vivid and lifelike than real -- as if one could imagine color on steroids. Some don't like this kind of processing but I find it to be quite beautiful. I must concede though that this practice of HDR is moving towards graphic art and away from realistic photography.
Many reading this review are likely expert practitioners of HDR -- maybe producing images that can approach those in this book. As a novice practitioner, I'll beg their indulgence and just say that this book has beautiful images which opened my eyes and, in the case of HDR imaging, my imagination to many new possibilities. After reading this book I was able to take my own HDR images and process them to my satisfaction though I have more to learn.
If you're already facile with HDR techniques you may be beyond this book. If you see intrinsic beauty in new images and innovative art you will understand and appreciate this book. If and are not yet familiar with HDR imaging I can't think of more inspiring introduction.
Summary of HDR Photography Photo Workshop
Expand your artistic vision with HDR photography
By artfully blending multiple exposures, you can create images with incredible detail, photos that mimic fine paintings, surrealistic imagery ? once you understand the process, your options are virtually endless. This book explains the tools you need to get started and how to create high dynamic range (HDR) images. You learn to evaluate a scene, photograph different subjects for the best HDR results, gain skill with software, and begin a lifetime of exploration.
- See how HDR compensates for the camera's limited ability to record the visible range of light
Examine the necessary camera features and accessories
Learn to process HDR images using Photomatix and Photoshop® Elements
Learn to create HDR photos from single exposures
Experiment with landscapes, cityscapes, interior shots, black-and-white, nighttime photos, and more
Save 15% on Photomatix software when you buy this book! Details inside!
Sample Photos from the Authors (Click on images to enlarge)
The Echo Wheel of Liverpool
Liverpool has plenty of fun architecture to play with and always looks stunning at dusk. The Echo Wheel of Liverpool makes for an interesting photo here with Pizza Express on the left. You may look at the scene and wonder why it needed HDR so I'm going to explain.
Neon lighting can often come out over-exposed in photos. Looking at the original image straight out of camera and you can see a couple of issues. The base of the wheel is a little over-exposed while the ground around Pizza Express is under-exposed. The neon on the wheel and the sign are both over-exposed just barely hinting at the blue colour.
To get the material needed for a decent HDR image I used a tripod, auto bracket exposure mode (AEB) and took 9 photographs at various settings. The string of exposures were -4/-3/-2/-1/0/+1/+2/+3/+4. That gave me plenty of material to work with. You can see the original out of camera image below.
I loaded the images into Photomatix and selected my starting point preset. This increases the luminosity a bit to flatten the contrast of the image, bringing clarity to over-exposed and under-exposed areas. I boosted the gamma a little for overall brightness and tweaked the black and white points for contrast, being careful not to blow the highlights. I almost always keep lighting adjustments at maximum for a realistic look (Natural+). You can see the result of tone mapping in Photomatix below.
Going back to the first image you can see that there's more colour in the sunset and the neons. It may be a small thing but HDR helps you nail those small details to tidy up a shot.
Exposure Info:
16mm lens setting
f/8, ISO 200, 1 second
exposure compensation +/- 0
Tools Used:
Nikon D700
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
Tripod
Remote shutter button
Copyright Pete Carr
Arundel Cathedral, West Sussex.
I've yet to visit a boring and dull cathedral. They're always amazing and breathtaking to behold. God knows his architecture.
I've been in larger cathedrals that seem to disappear off into the shadows. Arundel isn't that big but has a few hoops to jump through. The issue I had here was the large windows. I didn't want them to lose too much detail and I also wanted to get a bit more detail in the pews and impressive organ at the far end of the cathedral. As a perfectionist I simply refused to lose any detail.
To get the material needed for a decent HDR image I used a tripod, auto bracket exposure mode (AEB) and took 9 photographs at various settings. The string of exposures were -4/-3/-2/-1/0/+1/+2/+3/+4. That gave me plenty of material to work with. You can see the original out of camera image below.
I loaded the images into Photomatix and selected my starting point preset. This increases the luminosity a bit to flatten the contrast of the image, bringing clarity to over-exposed and under-exposed areas. The detail was nicely retained in the windows and brought out more in the pews and organ. I tweaked the black and white points for contrast, being careful not to blow the highlights. I almost always keep lighting adjustments at maximum for a realistic look (Natural+). You can see the result of tone mapping in Photomatix below.
Afterwards I put the image into Lightroom for some tweaking. I added a bit of a vignette to darken the edge, tweaked the white balance and increased the contrast a little. The idea was to make the centre of the image come to life. That's where the eye is drawn, down the aisle to the grand window and organ.
Exposure Info:
14mm lens setting
f/13, ISO 200, 0.6 seconds
exposure compensation +/- 0
Tools Used:
Nikon D700
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.
8 Tripod
Remote shutter button
Copyright Pete Carr
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