Learn HDR Photography | Photomatix Review

Updated 8/16/16

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With the advent of the modern digital camera it is fairly easy to take High Dynamic Range photos (HDR). See Phase One and Phase Two of “Learn HDR Photography.

Even on most of the latest point and shoot cameras you can adjust the Exposure Value manually to cover the necessary exposure range, as long as you use a tripod, and that the total exposure range is at least a total of four, plus and minus.

3 exposure settings
EV 0 for the first shot
EV -2 for the second shot
EV +2 for the third shot

As shown the best order of bracketing is Meter (0) /Under/Over.


The majority of P&S cameras shoot in JPEG. For HDR that's great! But, if you are going to shoot HDR photography with a P&S make sure you shut off all the automatic stuff. No automatic flash and so on.


Concentrate on getting the different exposures right. Practice without the tripod.  Sit in chair and set the EV at zero and see what the standard shot is going to look like, and then move the EV up and down and you can see the difference in exposure before you take the actual shots.


On most modern DSLRs you have what is called Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) built in.


Instead of having to manually change the Exposure Value for each of these three shots the camera does it for you. The camera is usually set on AV or aperture priority and you set the f/stop.


Ninety five percent of HDR shots I take are with a wide angle lens when using my Pentax DSLR. In daylight almost everything is shot at f16 or f22 for a consistent depth of field and, of course aperture priority setting.


I shoot in RAW, although JPEG works just as well in HDR photography. I set the ISO to 100.


I have used f22 inside a building and it has worked great. Night time may be a whole different ballgame and I will report later on that.


For my HDR processing I use Photomatix. It's reasonably priced and it is the best HDR software I know about. They have an excellent built in tutorial.


The software is like magic...it does all the work for you...alignment of the various exposures, de-ghosting, removal of chromatic aberrations and other things that can go wrong in HDR. And, “poof”out comes this magical photo.


The best part is: You don't like your HDR photo, there are super controls within Photomatix that you can play with to finite your masterpiece.


I have Elements 13 as of 2015. If I want to do further minor tweaking I use that. The combination of Photomatix and Elements works great! As of 2013, I also have added Lightroom 5. It is excellent in post production, adding contrast, clarity, alignment and so forth.


Whether you have an inexpensive P&S or an expensive DSLR there is no excuse but to try your hand at HDR Photograph. It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

Spot On EV 0

EV -2

EV +2

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2015-2016. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!

Learn HDR Photography | Phase Two

In Phase One of Learn HDR Photography we learned that HDR is basically the culmination of three exposures taken in succession...a standard exposure,  an overexposed one and an underexposed one. 

If done properly, taking the photo at three exposures will add greater tonal detail that will not be found in any one single shot. Try it!  Three things you are going to need:

One: Essential to HDR Photography is exposure compensation. Your camera must have the capability of letting you change the exposure setting (Exposure Value (EV)) within your camera with relative ease. And, whether it be a digital DSLR or a Point and Shoot a total range value of 4 EV is a must.

New term:  The process of taking several or more shots of the same thing using different camera settings is called Bracketing. Here's an example:

3 exposure settings
EV 0 for the first shot
EV -2 for the second shot
EV +2 for the third shot

As shown the best order of bracketing is Meter/Under/Over.

Two: Remember you are shooting the same scene three times in a row and you want the shot to line up properly without blurring it. So the use of a tripod or prop is a must. There being an exception, and that is if your camera has Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) built in.

Three: Some type of post production HDR software. The latest additions of Photoshop have it. And, one dedicated HDR software is Photomatix which is what I have...combined with an older version of Elements for cropping and organizing I do just fine.
 

I have a bottom-of-of the-food-chain Nikon L22 point and shoot that has EV. It is fairly easy to change the EV. However, I have to do so manually, making the use of a tripod mandatory. Any movement of the camera while changing the EV without a tripod would result in tons of distortion.

Here is an example of the photos taken with the Nikon P&S:

EV 0 For The First Shot

EV -2 For The Second Shot

EV +2 For The Third Shot

Final Photo Processed Thru Photomatix

In Phase Three I will explain more about HDR Software. So get with it! Go out and practice...take some shots at different exposures. The processing can come later.  

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2013-2014. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!

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

HDR Photography

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?

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2013-2014. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!