# First attempt at HDR



## chuckeb (Jul 13, 2013)

This is my first attempt at HDR photography.  Any input would be appreciated.


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## EDL (Jul 13, 2013)

Seems a little underexposed.  How many exposures did you take?


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## chuckeb (Jul 14, 2013)

I used the camera's setting. I think it did 3.  It's been over 110 a lot here so I'm waiting to go up north, or the weather cools to play much.


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## Steve5D (Jul 15, 2013)

I agree that it's a bit underexposed. Work on that, and I think it'll be fine.

For me, HDR is every bit as much about texture as it is light, and you've got "texture" in spades, with the cactus, the rocks and the bricks. I might try to shoot it so it comes across a bit more dynamic, but this isn't bad...


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## Light Guru (Jul 15, 2013)

Looks to me like it did not need HDR in the first place as the dynamic range if the scene can be captured fine with one exposure.


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## ronlane (Jul 15, 2013)

Light Guru said:


> Looks to me like it did not need HDR in the first place as the dynamic range if the scene can be captured fine with one exposure.



That's what I was thinking. Not sure there was enough dynamic range to start with.


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## chuckeb (Jul 15, 2013)

Thank you.  That helps.  I don't fully get the HDR concept yet I guess.  I"ll keep playing.


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## Light Guru (Jul 15, 2013)

chuckeb said:


> I don't fully get the HDR concept yet I guess.  I"ll keep playing.



A good thing to learn before "playing"

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. Dynamic Range is the difference between the the brightest part of an image and the darkest part of the image.  The digital sensors in cameras are only able to capture limited amount of dynamic range. HDR or High dynamic range is used to increase the amount of dynamic range you have in your final image.


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## chuckeb (Jul 15, 2013)

Let me rephrase.  I was a pro videographer for almost 20 years.  Framing I get.  In video we think in different terms.  Contrast ratio might be the closest to dynamic range.  I think...  transitioning back to photo after being away since my late teens means learning a lot.  Dynamic range has yet to fully compute in my brain.  Therefore HDR is still a bit above me.  I'm learning though.  Btw I have no desire to go pro.  This is for fun!


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## chuckeb (Jul 15, 2013)

Sorry for the pissy tone...  did some reading...  I think I have an idea of what HDR is.  If I'm understanding.  Some shots we want have lights and darks that are so far apart that one is lost when setting for the other. HDR lets us get both in the same shot.  Please correct me if I am still off.


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## 35mm4me (Jul 15, 2013)

Take a look at some of my desert  hdr landscapes, I like allot is depth and POP. Try going out early or just before sunset you can still find much to shoot when It's 110 out


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## Light Guru (Jul 16, 2013)

chuckeb said:


> I think I have an idea of what HDR is.  If I'm understanding.  Some shots we want have lights and darks that are so far apart that one is lost when setting for the other. HDR lets us get both in the same shot.  Please correct me if I am still off.



Yea that's ruffly it. The best way to understand dynamic range (and sadly this is something that all the new photographers these days do not learn) is to understand the Zone System (it was designed for black and white but it works in color also). The zone system is a scale from 0 to 10 with 0 being pure black, 10 being pure white with numeral gray being zone 5.


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## The Barbarian (Jul 16, 2013)

Interesting.  Most people, when they venture into HDR, wildly overdo it, and produce garish images with neon green grass and halos everywhere.   You've gone the other direction and did something quiet and understated.   Not bad.   The best application for HDR is something with a range of illumination that is too wide for you camera to handle normally.  HDR can let you get everything properly exposed.   

I mostly use HDR to do that, and many of my HDRs "don't look like HDR."   Just my inclination.


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## chuckeb (Jul 16, 2013)

Thank you, Barbarian.  I appreciate all the CC!  I'll keep that in mind (understated vs. too much.)  After HDR, ill venture into monochrome.


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## Light Guru (Jul 16, 2013)

chuckeb said:


> After HDR, ill venture into monochrome.



HDR can actually help with digital black and white. But like I said read up on the zone system.


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## EDL (Jul 16, 2013)

It might help too if you treat the tone mapping portion as a separate process (you can tone map single exposures).  I think folks new to HDR see it and are caught by the color pop tone mapping can provide (and is often used).

Although HDR is designed to produce a single photo with a wider dynamic range than can be captured in a single photo, the process also lends itself well to heavily textured subjects as well, like wood or gravel.


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## chuckeb (Jul 16, 2013)

Now that I have an idea what it is...  Well lets say I'll plan for it more.  I tend to be more interested in contrast than color.  Dunno how that'll effect when I do HDR.  

And Zone system...  *Eyes roll up in the back of my head*


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## Light Guru (Jul 16, 2013)

chuckeb said:


> Now that I have an idea what it is...  Well lets say I'll plan for it more.  I tend to be more interested in contrast than color.  Dunno how that'll effect when I do HDR.
> 
> And Zone system...  *Eyes roll up in the back of my head*



Your more interested in "contrast" and that is great understanding the zone system and how HDR can aid with that is perfect for that. Contrast has EVERYTHING to do with the zone scale!  The zone system scale goes from 0-10 you have a high contrast when objects next to each other have a large difference in where they are on the zone scale. 

The zone system is really not that hard to understand. It was defined to let you control where different parts of the scene you are photographing are going to end up on the zone scale in the final image. With film the control of the zone scale was partially controlled by altering development times. With digital you use multiple exposures, HDR and exposure blending to control the zone scale.  But the important thing is being await of the tonal differences when shooting.


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## chuckeb (Jul 17, 2013)

Got ya.  I'll look at it again.  The site I found was extremely technical.  I think my tired brain just went on revolt since it was bed time.


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## chuckeb (Jul 22, 2013)

Thank you again.  I looked over the zone method.  WOW.  My brain has to translate things to understand it.  Here's another attempt.  Take it apart.


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