Thom Zehrfeld Photography : what is high dynamic range photography

Showing posts with label what is high dynamic range photography. Show all posts

Monday, April 2, 2012

Gladstone Parks

Gladstone Parks In HDR

No not Gladstone parks in Missouri! How about a few photos of parks in Gladstone, Oregon?

No surprise that the parks in Gladstone are cool and well maintained. They work at it! My favorites are the Ames and Cross Parks, which really are one and the same, and parallel the Clackamas River.

The only way to tell them apart is one has a white border fence, and the other has a red stained border fence. Well, signs, too! Ames Park is the newer of the two. Both are very narrow parks but present a very nice walk along the river.

For the most part both parks are in the shade during the summer, so it's a cool place to take the pet for a stroll on a hot summer day or, for that matter, any day.

The two bridges shown below go across the Clackamas River to Oregon City and lead to yet another cool park. The first is a pedestrian bridge being repaired, and the other an old trolley bridge that is permanently closed for years.

The third park shown here is the Patterson Park which is about four or five blocks from the two above and away from the river. It's more orientated toward children and has a very nice playground.

In Gladstone City Proper (the old sections), all the streets are named after the streets in Boston's Back Bay..names like..Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, and so on in alphabetical order.

All the photos here were taken with a Nikon Point and Shoot camera and then converted to High Dynamic Range Photography (HDR). I use Photomatix software to convert to HDR and then Photoshop Elements to further process.

Gladstone Parks In HDR

Gladstone Fire Department In HDR

Portland Avenue | Gladstone Oregon In HDR

Gladstone House In HDR Across From Ames Park

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Willamette Historic District In West Linn

Historic Willamette Storefront

My home in Oregon City is almost directly across the Willamette River from the Willamette Historic District in West Linn, Oregon. It's a little confusing since when you enter this Historic District it looks very much looks like a town and a separate entity from the place it is incorporated with...West Linn.

In fact, West Linn (The Big Brother) itself does not have a downtown...but, Willamette does!

The folks in the Willamette District have taken the “bull by the horns” and have blended a historic place with a lot of new facades without destroying the old. It has developed into a superb place to visit, shop and eat.

There were so many cars parked and zooming by I should have taken the photos in the early AM.

I will do that on a nice day maybe next spring.

They also have a super nice park (Willamette Park) that is on the Willamette River. So, not only did I photograph Historic Willamette I also took a couple of shots in the park.

All photos are High Dynamic Range Photography (HDR). Enjoy!

Historic Willamette General Store

Historic Willamette General Store..They have Everything!

Historic Willamette Storefront

Down the Block

Across the Street

This Should Read Willamette Saloon

Downtown Yard Art

Upper Willamette River From the Park

Ramp to the Dock

One Little Tree In Willamette Park

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Learn HDR Photography | Phase One

What is High Dynamic Range Photography or HDR. It is the culmination of basically three exposures taken in succession...one that is underexposed, one overexposed and one that is “normal or standard exposure” of the same subject.

They are fused together to rectify the blown out part and the underexposed part. Your camera must have the capability to take these shots. Some take them manually while some automatically.

Your camera may or may not have the capability to combine them, but special HDR software like Photomatix is highly recommended to process them into HDR.

The lastest versions of Photoshop and Elements also have this capability. You may find Photoshop is expensive while Photomatix and Elements within budget. My preference is Photomatix...it's awesome!

HDR Photography

I subscribe to “Outdoor Photography” magazine and there was an article, complete with some outstanding photos that demonstrated this fairly new art form as well as it could be demonstrated.

Just had to find out more! I started to buy books (See below for a slew of them) so that I could learn more about HDR Photography. I have Rick Sammon's HDR Secrets for Digital Photographers, High Dynamic Range Digital Photography For Dummies by Robert Correll and the Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography by Ferrell McCollough .

The Sammon's book is a little more concise and is a great primer. The book has hundreds of HDR examples, plus he gets a bit into just plain "how to take great photos".

The Correll book tells you everything you need to know about HDR Photography and then some. Both books are highly recommended.

After learning some of the basics, finding out that my digital camera is capable of the HDR process, and after taking some shots in the HDR mode, I'm hooked!

Some folks either love this type of photography or they loathe it. Some consider it manipulation and “right up there” with taking a photo into Photoshop and altering the devil out of it. A satanic practice that could only lead one into hell's fire!

As far as manipulation, one can say the same about today's color film...it can bring out the mundane and convert it into stunning definition and color. Is this getting the best shots you can, or manipulation?

Who Am I?

Thom Zehrfeld is an artist and photographer based in Newport, Oregon, specializing in coastal wall art, nautical scenes, lighthouses, commercial fishing boats, vintage automobiles, and nostalgic Americana. His work blends photography, digital painting, texture, color, and imagination to create artwork with a strong sense of place and character. Inspired by the Oregon Coast, historic harbors, classic cars, old service stations, and seaside communities, Thom creates art that feels both familiar and timeless. His collections include Oregon Coast landscapes, retro car art, fishing boat scenes, lighthouse wall art, surreal coastal fantasy, and vintage-inspired decor. Thom’s artwork is available as fine art prints, canvas prints, metal prints, acrylic prints, and home decor through his online galleries.