Moving Along
This resolute walker was rapidly moving along Lewisville’s main thoroughfare. All the components of the image came together: the lighting, the background, the colors, the movement and the expression. I liked the photo and decided it would be a good candidate for moving along with my HDR experiments
I first mentioned using the HDR technique on the photo of this old car, and I’ve since applied the HDR technique to several other photos. (If you click on the “HDR” tag at the end of this post, you can see other photos to which this technique was applied.)
What is HDR? It stands for High Dynamic Range. Some experts also refer to it as HDRI, or High Dynamic Range Imaging. Here’s a short definition, taken from The HDRI Handbook, by Christian Bloch:
High dynamic range imaging is a method to digitally capture, store, and edit the full luminosity range of a scene.
The key phrase in the definition is “full luminosity.” What you get with HDR is an image that contains all (or at least most) of the tones that actually existed in a scene, ranging from light to dark. Ordinarily, when the tones in a scene range from very bright to very dark, the resulting photograph ends up with compressed tones — not a good thing — because the camera sensor (or film) is incapable of capturing the complete range of tones within a single exposure. But HDR allows you to achieve a much greater range of tones in a scene, and therefore yields more detail and can sometimes look surreal.
In addition to using HDR on this photo, I also applied other Photoshop techniques to it. The resulting image has a very dynamic and energetic look to it that really appeals to me.
What do you think about HDR? Do you like it, or is it too exaggerated for you? I’d be interested in hearing from you.
Update on 2/25/09: The comments on this post provide more thoughts regarding HDR applied to people and creating an HDR image from a single RAW file. In addition, you might also want to check out the additional web page that resulted from the discussion. That new page is entitled HDR and Non-HDR Comparison.
I like HDR a lot! It’s like those heat sensing photos you see sometimes…or microscopic pictures. Similar to a parallel universe being revealed. It takes your critical, creative eye to know when it is appropriate.
George
A parallel universe — I like that, George! Stay tuned for more HDR! I’m looking forward to the adventure. Thanks for stopping by!
I disagree with George. I don’t like it when people are the subject of HDR. The lady doesn’t look real. I’d rather see the unaltered photograph. The old car was interesting using the HDR technique.
OK, how about we take a look at the before and after versions! See what you think. Here’s the link: https://lewisvillephotos.com/more/hdr-comparison
Your further thoughts are most welcome! 🙂
I once knew a photorealist painter who specialized in cold-war-era automobiles, and your old car picture has the same appeal. This one, although I like it just as much, appeals for different reasons… that I can’t quite put my finger on. I can say that, although it should feel “industrial” and artificial, somehow, in fact the HDR technique succeeds in emphasizing the energy of the walker without dehumanizing her. (For me, anyway.) And I’m looking forward to seeing more HDR…
Thanks for your thoughts, rjleaman. While many applications of HDR can dramatically change photos, it actually can also be applied in very subtle ways. And when it’s used subtly, most viewers would typically not be aware that such a technique had been applied. A subtle application of HDR increases the dynamic range without introducing exaggerated or “unrealistic” effects. I personally love altering reality, though, because I think doing so can serve a communication and/or artistic purpose that sometimes cannot be achieved with realism. But that’s my personal preference. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Deb:
Originally, didn’t HDR involve multiple exposures, something that would be difficult with your “walker.” Are you working from a single raw file?
That’s a good question, Doug. Yes, you’re right. Technically, HDR does involve working from separate incremental exposures created in-camera.
In this case, though, I was working from a single Raw file (and I always capture Raw files).
I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom as my image organizer and initial processor in my workflow. Since I had a well-exposed Raw file, I created 5 “virtual copies” of the shot in Lightroom and used the Quick Develop feature to make 4 “bracketed” exposures — two above, and two below the normal exposure. I then exported those virtual copies as TIFF files and processed them as HDR images in a program named Photomatix Pro. After the HDR image was created, I brought it into Photoshop and performed a number of techniques on it, creating the resulting image.
So that’s the scoop on how this image was created. Thanks for the great question.