Advanced Techniques - Producing HDR Images

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography was once exclusively in the realm of video post production, but with the advent of digital photography and thanks to digital photo editing software, it is possible for average photographers to produce HDR images.

by Sam Zaydel

High Dynamic Range images are a fairly recent subject matter, at least as far as the average digital photographer is concerned. In case you are not familiar with HDR, it is the process of combining multiple exposures of the same subject into one image that more closely matches what the human eye sees. While HDR is primarily photography, it is considered to be a mixed medium art, because of the digital processing which takes place after the images have been captured. An HDR image is of course only as good as the sequence of images captured to produce the final image. There are several considerations that have to be made before capturing any images for HDR post-processing.

What is HDR?

First and foremost, let's talk about what HDR images are. Even though this is a fairly new subject in photography, the concept behind it is rather old. Dynamic Range simply put, is a measure of how many levels of light an image capture device, such as your digital camera, can capture. Think about shooting a bright sunrise. Why is it that when the sun is exposed properly, the rest of the image appears dark and underexposed? Simple, because the camera used to capture the image has less Dynamic Range than the scene being captured.

A sunrise is a high-contrast situation. The rising sun and the surrounding sky are hundreds of times brighter, than other elements in the image. While digital sensors are extremely sophisticated, and so are film emulsions, some scenes are still too much for them to render for bright highlights, and deep shadows. This is where the concept of an HDR image comes in. You know that if you shoot a sunrise, and meter for the sun, the rest of the scene will be dark, likewise if you meter for the rest of the scene, the sun and the sky will turn into a sheet of white.

What if you could bracket your exposures, but later take properly exposed portions of each exposure of a particular scene, and put them all together into a single beautifully exposed image? That's what an HDR image is.

Software

Using special software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Photomatix, you merge the exposures together, let the software generate a 48bit image, and you then tone map the image, meaning you adjust the image to make sure that both highlights and shadows are represented correctly.

Capturing Digital Photos for HDR

First and foremost, a tripod is absolutely necessary. Most serious photographers use a tripod despite having fast lenses, often with optical image stabilization. Secondly, while shooting a completely static scene is the most common method, dynamic scenes will produce beautiful HDR images too when shot correctly. The most important part of producing a good HDR image is spacing exposures correctly. I wish I could say: “Always bracket by 1.5 stops and you will have an excellent sequence!” That would be easy.

Bracket your Images

Unfortunately, the spacing between exposures will vary, based on the scene. There is no limit, other than your computer's memory to how many exposures of the scene you use. Realistically, most situations will be covered by three exposures. Unless I can see that a scene has extreme variations in contrast, I will space the images 1½ or use a one-third stop if the camera offers it.

Always shoot in RAW format. Using RAW, I cheat at times, and underexpose or over expose a copy of one of the images in an HDR sequence. I then use this under, or overexposed image along with other 'real' photos to generate my final HDR composite image. Some cameras offer a custom setting, which you could program with any settings. I can always change the ISO, but I try to keep it at 50 to reduce noise. Remember, as you combine exposures, you also increase noise. Your choice of software will vary, and every image will look best at different settings. There is no one silver bullet here, you will have to use a lot of trial and error.

The Final Image

Summary

To summarize, producing high quality HDR images is primarily in the exposures you make of the scene. Expose your primary shot for the part of the scene that is most important, and bracket other exposures from there. Try to capture fewer exposures at first, and study your final products to figure out what you need to do better. Experiment with exposure bracketing. Try different spacing, and with time you will find what works best for you. After all, even with HDR imaging, some people will choose to expose for more shadows, while others for more highlights. Try to streamline your image capture process with custom camera functions. There is a lot of information online about the available software, and the process itself. This article is a good start, and will hopefully get you on your way towards great HDR images. Nonetheless, use other resources, and experiment!

For more information read Produce HDR (High Dynamic Range) Images


About the Author: Sam Zaydel is a professional photographer, who recently started an Online Photographer Community, to allow photographers freedom to share their most favorite shooting locations and places. To learn more, please visit www.worldonpaper.com.