MobiusLAB

It’s rare that you will run into something that will really blow your mind, but after I started researching HDR Photography I ran into a site called HDR Japan which really turned me on to high dynamic range imaging.

First, for those that don’t know, wikipedia states the principles of HDR photography as the following…

“Information stored in high dynamic range images usually corresponds to the physical values of luminance or radiance that can be observed in the real world. This is different from traditional digital images, which represent colors that should appear on a monitor or a paper print.”

The images you can see  show the absolute power of high dynamic range photos. Some examples of high dynamic range photography can be seen on HDR Japan here under their Japan photos section. These photos absolutely amaze.

Here’s a series of steps to easily get you started with HDR photography:

1. Bracketing
   Setup your camera to bracket 3 or more images.
2. White Balance
   Set your white balance to whatever the scene requires, but don’t use auto.
3. Mount the camera on a tripod.
   Having a stable base for your camera is very important and means less alignment issues in post productions. If you have a model in the scene, just ask them to hold as still as possible for a few seconds.
4. Cable Release
   Attach the Cable release. You do not want to touch the camera at all. Even the slightest movement can cause alignment issues with your final images.
5. Switch the camera to aperture priority and make your aperture F8 and fire the shutter.

This is the easy way to get started and is the exact method used by some of the internet’s best HDR photographers. HDR photography may not be the end-all for photography, but it certainly is something new in the world of digital imaging that is making waves across the entire photography base. Even the PPA is teaching it now at their conventions!