HDR - The old new thing, only faster, well sometimes

The current hype in the digital world is HDR, or High dynamic range images. Basically it is the process of taking multiple images with bracketed exposure which are then combined by some clever algorithms in the software to create a single image.

For years film photographers have dodged and burned images to expand the dynamic range of their images. Of course it was also used simply to improve the impact of the image. We have also had graduated neutral density filters to adjust images in camera long before we left the world of cellulose for bits and bytes.

Granted there is a big issue with digital cameras in that their ability to capture tonal range is not near what film did, so that the tricks of the film days are now an essential requirement to get images that meet or exceed the standards of film.

Now it may come as a surprise to some people to find out that HDR is really nothing new, digital photographers have been layering multiple images with bracketing for as long as photoshop has been around, the real difference is that now it is so much easier and faster to do, well sometimes at least.

I shot the image above a few months ago at Tunstal Bay here on Bowen Island. the light conditions for this sunset ranged by about 3 f-stops. I bracket my landscape shots as a matter of course. It is partially a left-over from my film days and partially because digital cameras are in many ways less forgiving of lighting mistakes with their limited tonal range and noise issues.

So how did I get this exposure even between the vibrant sky and almost dark beach. I bracketed 5 shots from -2 to +2 F and selected the brightest image that did not clip the whites, by reviewing the histogram in lightroom. This is a critical point. Although you can "brighten" up a RAW file after the fact by almost 2 stops, it comes at a cost in terms of noise. However darkening the image does not add any noise at all. The secret to noise free images with deep tonal range is to shoot your exposures as bright as possible without loosing the highlights (a blown out white is always white, no matter how much you darken the image) and then to pull them back in whichever RAW converter is used to balance the exposure.

I applied an electronic graduated neutral density filter by using the lightroom tools to darken the sky by 2 f stops. and presto, done. It took all of 15 minutes from selection the image to printing a jpg for the web.

, no layering in photoshop and no complicated software processes. Something like this would have taken me half a day of trial and error in the darkroom to burn the sky under the enlarger. That is what I love most about the digital world, quick results that allows you more time for shooting and faster feedback which increase the learning curve.

That is also why I have not used the HDR buttons in photoshop or any of the other dedicated HDR programs. After frustrating myself with it for an hour and not seeing any decent results I gave up.

I would rather shoot pictures than sit behind the computer, and the old school tools can give you great fast results if you plan for it in your shooting and get the image exposed right in the camera.

Being prepared

This week it was brought home to me again about how important it is to always carry your camera.

I was on my way home from work. Part of my commute involves a ferry ride across Howe Sound to get to Bowen Island. As I stepped out of the terminal onto the gangplank, I looked up and saw the most amazing sunset happening. The light was changing fast and in a jiffy I had my camera out and put my wide angle lens on. I had enough time to get a few dozen hand held images in the fading light. I hoped one of them would be sharp enough to be of use.

The key thing was firstly that I had my camera, that the settings in the camera were all correct and there was space on the memory card in the body. I shoot in manual, usually at the lowest ISO so that I can use images for stock if it does not become a fine art image and if it is suitable for stock. That means that I often shoot on a tripod with the Pentax IR remote. However, I have gotten into the habit of adjusting the settings on the camera back to continuous shooting with the shake reduction on before I put the camera back into my bag. That way I am ready for hand held shooting if a sudden opportunity arises.

This is a handy little tip to keep in mind when you shoot hand held slow shutter speeds. Set the camera on continuous shooting and fire of bursts of 4 to 6 images on a row. You will often find that the images in the middle of the burst is far sharper than a single image, because one's body can move slightly at the beginning or end of the the shot and impact on the first or last image.