HDR Article Notes

Nikon Article

• There are 2 reasons to make an HDR photo: necessity and creativity, and they often overlap, creating great photos with personal touches.
• Allows you to see more of what your eye really sees as no lens is as complex with light as the human eye
• Captures highlights and shadow details
• "In nature photography, the more realistic the better, but there are times when I want to make a graphic impression—and there are many subjects that work better with more interpretive processing. It's all personal preference." -Tony Sweet on his use of HDR photography.
• Shows that there are many different ways, and many different interpretations of HDR. "It's all personal preference."
• The HDR process gives you a choice: create a realistic image that has all the subtleties of the scene, or go for something more unrealistic, surreal, and illustrative. Or something in between.

Stuck In Customs Article

• HDR is a post-processing task of taking either one image or a series of images, combining them, and adjusting the contrast ratios to do things that are virtually impossible with a single aperture and shutter speed.
• Brings details to the shadows and highlights both
• "Cameras, by their basic-machine-nature, are very good at capturing “images”, lines, shadows, shapes — but they are not good at capturing a scene the way the mind remembers and maps it. When you are actually there on the scene, your eye travels back and forth, letting in more light in some areas, less light in others, and you create a “patchwork-quilt” of the scene. Furthermore, you will tie in many emotions and feelings into the imagery as well, and those get associated right there beside the scene. Now, you will find that as you explore the HDR process, that photos can start to evoke those deep memories and emotions in a more tangible way. It’s really a wonderful way of “tricking” your brain into experiencing much more than a normal photograph." I thought this was very thought provoking and a perfect way to describe photography. I'm not sure if HDR really makes a scene feel more real for me, but I can understand this.