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High Dynamic Range
High dynamic range Imaging is a technique that allows for a greater range between light and dark areas. The results are often breathtaking colorful images. It basically produces a high dynamic range image from multiple images of the same object taken with different exposures. To create high dynamic range images one needs therefore multiple images and a software program that can extract the information from these images and create a combined image.
For my final project I decided to show two different types of HDR tone mapping. The first is focused towards detail enhancement, which usually makes an image more surreal looking and has more color noise. The second type of tone mapping is focused towards tone enhancement which stays true towards the lighting restraints of photography. You will see both of these types of photography.
The reason I chose to pursue HDR photography as my final project is two fold: Photography has been a passion of mine since as far as I can remember, I have had a lot of training and have spent many hours testing various techniques, eqipment and methods that would enhance my photographic portfolio. When I first heard of HDR imaging, I was stunned by the simple yet ingenious idea behind it.
To understand HDR truly, one must understand the way humans look at objects and landscapes. When someone looks out into the distance or at a particular object, they are not just focusing in at one point. In fact, their eyes are constantly scanning every surface, texture and contour of the object, and the "image" as a whole is something of an illusion, in the sense that it is created in the visual cortex in the brain- rather than our eyes taking in entire picture by picture.
Because of this segmented process of viewing, for every new focal point the eye rests on, the iris of the eye is constantly adjusting its diameter to compensate for the various levels of light being reflected from each surface. The eye does this, in essence, so that the brain has a clear picture that is neither over-exposed, nor under-exposed to begin to piece together. So, when all of these "clear", light adjusted segmented images come together in the brain, the consolidated, final image that we "see" is considered having a varied range of exposure, or a high dynamic range.
This is where the term High Dynamic Range (HDR) comes from, meaning that the overall image actually contains segmented images of various exposure compensation. These HDR images are usually quite surreal looking, yet create stunning landscapes.
Take a look at both galleries below, each demonstrate a different type of HDR image.