High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography
All the shots you see here were taken with either the canon 350d (known in the states as the Rebel XT) or canon 450d. Latterly the 450d, because I managed to break my 350d :)
They were all processed with HDRSoft’s Photomatix - I have a discount code that gives you 15% off - if you want that, you’ll find it at the photomatix discount code page.
I love HDR - it has the capacity to create some truly staggering photographs. I am still very much learning the technique (as are most people - it’s not been around for long), but I am already hooked on its ability to extract hitherto impossible levels of colour and detail.
There are many schools of thought when it comes to HDR Photography. Some people think of it as “cheating”, some think it always looks unnatural, some people push it so that it *always* looks unnatural. I try to keep things looking as natural as possible, but use it to bring out the beautiful colours that are already there in a scene.
Sometimes HDRs can end up looking somewhat unreal - but I try to judge each picture on its merits. A photo is just a picture at the end of the day, and if the emotional response it creates for me is a good one, whatever its artistic merits, I consider it a success. I am especially fond of the dreamlike painterly effect sometimes produced. Hopefully I’ve succeeded more than I’ve failed.
I have created a hdr tutorial in the hope of helping out people interested in this technique. Here’s a selection of my favourite HDR Photographs:
I *FINALLY* got round to taking some more pictures of something other than my family. Escaped for a weekend with Andy and Shaun in Malham in the yorkshire dales. Stunning place.
This is probably the only HDR from the trip - I concentrate on filters and normal photos nowadays, but I liked the way this one turned out. This waterfall is above another waterfall that you have to climb up - it’s like something from Jurassic Park up there - really weird environment.
Techical details: iso 100, f/11, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, landscape.
Another one from my afternoon out near Coalville with Andy. I had been playing with my old polariser for my sigma 10-20, but got bored and brought out my sigma 70-300, and took a couple of snaps of the distant skyline, not really thinking it would amount to much. I really like the effect here - I can’t help but think of parallax scrolling from old arcade games, which shows me up for bespectacled poindexter I am.
Technical info: ISO 100, f/23, 119mm, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, lake district.
Tagged with coalville, landscape, mist.
I went out with Andy on friday, to try and get some new pictures for the first time in weeks, and was a little dispirited at the time, as nothing seemed inspiring, and I wandered around wondering what the hell I was doing, and if I actually cared about taking pictures any more. Thankfully, when I got home, I was pleased with enough of what I’d taken to be somewhat heartened again, so I won’t be throwing away the camera just yet 
Technical info: ISO 100, f/13, 12mm, tripod, polarising filter, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, landscape.
Tagged with coalville, leicestershire, outcrop, rocks.
On a bike ride a couple of weeks ago, I noticed the stark patterns created by the heavy ploughing of this field, and as I was snapping away, a break in the cloud caused these lovely sunbeams to appear. This was a handheld HDR, which can come out terribly if you’re unlucky, but photomatix was able to match these up pretty well.
Technical info: ISO 100, f/19, handheld, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, landscape, skies.
Tagged with field, ploughed field, sunbeams, trees.
This is one from October last year. I spent about an hour skulking around in this graveyard as the sun set, avoiding opprobrious glances from passersby. This was a shot I didn’t think too much of at the time, but I just came across it and rather like it (especially if you look at the larger view)
Technical info: ISO 100, f/23, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in architecture, hdr, skies.
Tagged with hdr, photomatix, porthmeor.
Every year Lakeside puts on a fantastic Chinese new year show with lots of live acts, culminating in a massive firework display. Here are a few of my favourite pictures from this year. If you want to see the whole set, it’s on my flickr account.
For most of the evening, i was just shooting handheld using P mode (basically automatic where you can override certain features - bascially all I overrode was focussing (i like it centre only, so I can plan it) and raw output. The top shot is a 3 shot HDR and the bottom one just a long exposure with a tripod, with some tweaking to brighten up the bottom of the frame in post processing so the crowd is visible.
Posted in hdr, people.
Tagged with chinese new year, drummer, drumming, fireworms, lakeside arts, nottingham.
I had a great afternoon today - the morning was foul weather but it was forecast for sunny interevals in the afternoon, so I went out with Andy and spent a glorious afternoon tramping round Bradgate Park, about 6 miles away.
I’ve been trying to get a good shot of Old John for ages now - you have to get the light just right. I’m really pleased with this one, even though I did almost fall off a big rock taking it and dash my brains out.
Technical info: ISO 100, f/22, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix
Posted in architecture, hdr, landscape, skies.
Tagged with bradgate park, hdr, landscape, leicestershire, old john.
I had a great day tramping around moorland up near Hathersage in the Peak District (Derbyshire, near sheffield) on sunday. This was my favourite picture of the day.
It was so windy up on the tops that I had to physically hold the tripod down whilst taking this picture, and it’s amazing it came out as well as it did, as the top exposure was over a second in length!
Technical info: ISO 100, f/22, tripod, 3 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, landscape.
Tagged with derbyshire, hathersage, moorland.
The Newtown Linford entrance of Bradgate Park in Leicestershire is packed with stuff to point the camera at. The difficult bit is getting there when the light is right, because it’s in a pretty tight valley, and you don’t get good light for long.
This was taken on an afternoon out with Andy, who got this lovely shot at about the same time.
I relied on the wonderful water repelling abilities of my crazily high hiking boots, and stood in the middle of the stream with my tripod to fire this off. I like it’s dreamy quality - I don’t get enough pictures of nice water, really… I always find it hard to think of where there are streams nearby. Must go out with that in mind more often.
Technical info: ISO 100, f/16, trpod, 3 shot HDR process in photomatix
Posted in hdr, landscape, skies.
Tagged with bradgate park, hdr, leicestershire, light, lighting, park, photomatix, water, weir.
I got my lenses back from lending them to andy today, and celebrated by skiving off for a few hours. Amongst a lot of more interesting subjects, this bus stop with trees turned out to be my favourite image of the shoot - I think it’s the way the light is catching the trees.
Technical info: iso 100, f/22, 6 shot HDR processed in photomatix pro
Posted in hdr, landscape, skies.
Tagged with bus stop.
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