About nine months ago I wrote a post about high dynamic range photography, commonly referred to as HDR, or HDRI. It is a photo processing technique where several photos are combined to create a photo that is something more. It has not been easy for me to learn. I bought a book which has been helpful: "Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography" The book is not all that easy to use but has amazing photos in it and it helped me get started.
I am using a program called Photomatix Pro to process the photos, and I am shooting them all in the RAW format. The process can make the photos look cartoonish. As I am learning how to create these photos I am also learning which type of photos it works the best with. Here are some of my latest.
This one is a bit extreme. Taken at City Center in Minneapolis. It was an OK shot to begin with but the windows in the background were just a white blob. The HDR processing brought out the windows and even the buildings in the background. I combined five photos. I used a wide angle lens which is kind of fun in a wide open space.
This photo isn't so extreme, it was taken at Mears Park in St. Paul. I have taken this shot many times and I have never gotten what I wanted. It is a place I go to often and really enjoy. Located right in the heart of the lowertown art district in our downtown. There is a band shell with live music in the summer. The HDR processing brought out the leaves on the trees and other details that seem to disappear. Five photos were used to create this.
On this photo I used HDR to bring out the reflections in the water and to make the Lillie stand out. I combined three photos and I did very little processing. The photo was taken at Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul.
This one is a little more extreme. I took it yesterday on my way home from a meeting. I had to drive by Oakland Cemetery, one of the oldest grave yards in St. Paul. I like to photograph it in the winter because I love the old oak trees and the way the tombstones look in the snow. Strange I know but we all have our little quirks. I used three photos to create it and did a lot of processing.
These photos don't come close to being as wonderful as the photos I find on the interent but who knows maybe with more practice and better photos mine will improve. HDR can be used for property photos. I am thinking the less extreme processing will work the best.
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