Intro to HDR

Although I have been aware of HDR (High Dynamic Range) Imaging for a while, it was not until last night that I first attempted it for myself. True HDR images combine two or more identitcally composed images, each exposed for a different area - for instance one exposed for the sunset and one for the darker foreground. Once these images are combined and tone-mapped, the new image can be stunning, with rich details in the shadows and highlights of a normally high contrast scene.

I created these HDR images using only one RAW image, but I duplicated the image and exposed each instance for a specific area. Although this works well, it is best to use two or more images (shot using a tripod) and combine them. The original image is on the left, as exposed with no correction. The HDR version of the same image is below. Even though I only used one RAW file, you can see there was a lot of information that was stored in the file not being used to it's full potential.


Original.

HDR version.

peace and much love!