July 6th, 2007
HDR photos rarely look “real”. Programs like Photomatix make it very easy to over-process your pictures to the point that they become abstract pieces of art. To create realistic HDR photos involves practice and skill. Ed Jesalva takes beautiful HDR photos with a focus on realism. He writes:
“I am an amateur photographer getting re-acquainted with photography in general, and digital in particular. I’ve really just been shooting landscapes this year but found a seminar at Brooks Institute to be particularly helpful in creating images like this one. HDR is a by-product of that. In my spare time, I’m a physician in Westlake Village, CA specializing in Psychiatry :)
My approach to HDR is to be as realistic as possible but use the tool as it is intended. That is, to compress the dynamic range so that there are details in both the shadows and highlight areas without giving the scene a “flat” look. In general, what I’ve noticed is sliders that increase contrast, decrease realism. Sliders that reduce contrast, increase realism.
I use (Adobe Photoshop) CS2 and Layer Masks almost exclusively. The general idea that I try to accomplish here is to generate a 3 dimensional effect. This means that elements in your scene have to have 3 tones in order to look 3D, highlights, midtones, and shadows. Trying to isolate each element to have these 3 components is my “secret” to creating photorealistic pictures, whether they are HDR or not.”
Finding the balance between realistic and over-processed is no easy task. What are your techniques for creating realistic HDR photos?
July 5th, 2007
What is your favorite subject to photograph? Landscape HDR photography is the first choice of many new digital photographers. HDR processing can breathe life back into a picture that would normally be dull and unappealing. But you can’t count on it to do all the work for you.
Professional landscape photographer Mike McFarlane Writes:
“I bought my first camera in 2002 and was so taken with this new way of
seeing that I gave up my job as an engineer to pursue the life of a
landscape photographer. It is not always easy and it is not always fun,
but I am making progress and I love the freedom to pursue my dreams.
What do you want the photograph to say?
Study your subject and then study it some more. HDR can reveal many
hidden visual aspects of your subject to the viewer, but it can not
reveal the soul of your subject. Only you can do that by studying and
knowing your subject and then composing appropriately to convey that soul to
the viewer.
As Ansel Adams said “The is nothing worse than a sharp photograph of a
fuzzy concept.” Perhaps in the HDR age this could be, “There is nothing
worse than an HDR photograph of a fuzzy concept.”
When you are taking HDR photos it’s easy to fill your camera with poorly composed lifeless pictures. Before you start shooting, check the cameras settings and then take the time to thoughtfully frame the subject. Mike has a page of composition techniques for photographers that he uses on his website, www.mikemcfarlane.co.uk.
What gives your photos their soul?
