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Mardi Gras 2009 in HDR

A  word about HDR Photography

   Our eyes have the ability to discern all the
details in any given scene - from bright sky
to dark shadows.
    Not so with photography, either film or
digital.
    In the past one might try to remedy this
problem by shooting through a split
density filter where the top part of the
filter was darkened (much like the
graduated tinting on a windshield), in order
to tone down the brightness of the sky
to more closely match the level of the land.
    The Digital Age has brought exciting new
ways to accomplish this task.
    Basically, the photographer takes
different exposures of the same subject
(typically 2-6 exposures) - 1 exposure for
the brightest highlights, 1 for the darkest
shadows, and 1-3 for all the tones in
between.
    These files are then layered in an image
editing program, such as Photoshop,
where the photographer can manually
combine the different images, or employ
software that will automatically create a
High Dynamic Range photograph that will
contain all the brightness levels much as
they originally appeared to the naked eye.
    A  fascinating byproduct of this process
is a delightful painterly quality that can
be applied at various degrees of
saturation, contrast, and sharpness.
    I call HDR the revolution within the digital
revolution and expect it to grow in
popularity as a new dimension for
photographers to explore.

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