Pixiq

The three images along the top of these pages were recorded at differing exposures. By combining them using HDR software, I produced a final image (below right) that exhibits a wider range of tones and colors than is otherwise possible without losing detail in either the highlights or shadows. Ancient Bristlecone National Forest, Big Pine, California.

HDR (high dynamic range) photography is a great way of dealing with extreme lighting conditions that are all too common in the real world. Our eyes can see detail within a wide range of brightness in a landscape, and sometimes photographers expect to capture that same range in a photograph—but it is often a range that is far greater than the recording capability of the sensor. I find, based on numerous questions from students, that many photographers expect more from their camera’s exposure function than it is not able to deliver. Many want a well-exposed image for a scene that, in reality, is impossible to expose without clipping—an exposure that cannot hold detail in the lowest (black) and/or lightest (white) levels of brightness.

HDR photography can help deal with landscapes that used to be impossible to properly expose. The technique involves taking multiple images of a scene (from a tripod-mounted camera) as you vary the exposure from dark to light. Then, you combine those images in the computer using special software that builds a photo with much greater tonal range than the camera can record in a single file. The result is a photo that is closer to the natural scene, rather than one restricted by the limitations of camera technology.

Some photographers have said it is unfair to use multiple shots because it is not “real” photography, while some publications refuse to run such photographs, saying they are illustrations rather than photographs. I find this debate rather silly. I want the real world to be in charge of what is true in a landscape photograph, not obsolete technologies or limitations of technology. One has to wonder when some of these editors are going to understand that hiding behind old ways of doing things can keep us from seeing the world with fresh eyes, and seeing it better.

I don’t use HDR all the time, but I like having it as an option. I was recently looking at a book of Ansel Adams’ photographs. I saw a couple of photos that stood out, and they were the darkroom equivalent of HDR. One was a scene of backlit woods with sunlit grass and dark tree trunks. Adams held detail throughout the scene because of the way he applied technology (exposure and chemistry) to the specific conditions of the scene. Adams generally overexposed such shots and underdeveloped them, plus added more processing when he made the print.

That scene could not have been captured in color with such detail straight from any camera, film or digital. Yet, with digital imaging, we can make several different exposures and use special processing methods to capture scenes like this that were simply not possible in color before.

Follow these basic HDR steps:

Some have criticized HDR because the technique can be taken to a level where the photos end up looking surreal. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As demonstrated here, you can extend the image’s dynamic range and still have a photo that is realistic in portraying the scene as it appeared to your eyes. Lake Meade Recreation Area, Nevada.