High Dynamic Range (HDR) Workshop

HDR photography is short for High Dynamic Range.  One of the constant issues with photography has always been the limitation of the camera and printer to show a scene as we can see it with our eyes. HDR is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to represent more accurately the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

By merging multiple photographs, and then using tone mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, we can produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect.

Any camera that allows manual over- or under-exposure of a photo can be used to create HDR images.

This class will show you how to set your camera to capture the full exposure range, and then how to combine the images using special HDR software.

The example below shows the three images used to make the HDR image, which is a more accurate representation of what we would see.

We will start by going over the settings to get proper exposures to combine for the HDR image. We will then go out in the field and capture images to work with in the second part of the class. We will then combine the images using Photomatix software and learn the different methods and effects that can be created.