I Heart HDR

For the past several months, I have been drooling (yes, almost literally) over photos from different photographers who process their photos with HDR (High Dynamic Range). This means they take, not one, but 3-5 shots of a scene at different exposures and use HDR software to combine the images. This allows you to be able to expose your photo correctly for both the highlights in the image (such as the sky) and the shadows (such as a building or any object in the foreground).

My obsession continued and I just began an HDR Photography class at Columbus State last week. So far, I'm LOVING it!! I got my first practice on real HDR Photography today. I downloaded a trial of some software that I'm thinking of purchasing. What do ya think?? Now I'm not saying my photos are drool-worthy... YET. But if I'm liking the results already on Day 1, I think I might be able to get there. If you want to see where I aspire to be, check out my idol: Stuck in Customs. (Trey's got a better travel budget than me, too.)

Just to show you the difference (and I NEVER show original photos out of the camera, but I will just this once), here's the original image taken at a train trestle near my house in Delaware. On a bright, sunny day like today, it's hard to get a bright image of the tracks and still be able to see the beautiful blue sky and fluffy white clouds.


So, work a little HDR magic, and voila! Pretty surreal looking!


Next, I went down to Blue Limestone Park to see the "haunted" tunnel under the train trestle (we have a lot of trains here). The tunnel is so dark and the light at the end is so bright. I had to do some Spiderman-like moves to get this photo so I didn't fall into the creek. I couldn't see into the tunnel unless I wanted to stand in 2 feet of water, so I found a ledge, propped up my camera and blindly shot into the tunnel. This was my first attempt... not too bad. I love how the grafitti and textures of the walls stand out.


Finally, back to the original trestle. I decided to try some black and white HDR. Here is the outcome.


I'm thinking of all the awesome possibilities HDR holds for my future clients. I'm picturing beautifully capturing the interior of a romantically lit church or reception hall, or a wide angle shot of a couple with the bright blue sky and fluffy clouds overhead. Here's another photographer/inspiration who knows a thing or two about lighting and exposure: Jessica Strickland. Scroll down to see her pictures of the interior of the reception hall. I don't know if she does HDR, but WOW!!! Inspired yet?

Can't wait to try this out on a shoot!