High Dynamic Range HDR Photography

High dynamic range photography, also known as HDR photography. We have catalogued HDR photography as an outdoor genre, however it is also commonly used in commercial genres of photography. It is a camera and post-processing technique where multiple exposures are taken and then combined either in-camera or during post-processing using software to produce a scene with a large range of exposure or contrast. Dynamic range is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest possible exposure where detail is still retained.

The technique involves taking multiple exposures of the same scene, usually where there is a large difference between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene. For example, imagine photographing a landscape scene where there are dark mountains and a bright sky with some scattered clouds.

If you were to take one photograph the image would likely be fine, but to photograph the scene using the HDR method of photography would likely produce a deeper image with more contrast and depth.

TO LOVE HDR PHOTOGRAPHY IS TO LOVE CONTRASTS

Multiple high dynamic range exposures

Typical HDR photography will include either three, five or more merged images of differing exposures. The number of exposures required will depend on the scene and could include exposures at -1, 0, 1 or -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 or -4, -2, 0, 2, 4 and so on. The dynamic range and exposure compensation available differs between cameras.

The Nikon D850 can photograph scenes with the range: -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 which is marketed by Nikon at 8.9 stops of dynamic range. The Leica CL delivers 13.6 stops and the Canon EOS R delivers 10.9 stops of dynamic range.

Capturing multiple exposures with a camera to produce a HDR photograph is also called exposure bracketing. All cameras with the ability to control exposure settings manually will be able to produce a set of images that can be processed into a HDR photograph. Higher-end cameras designed with Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) can also usually do this easily, with the images being processed in-camera or unprocessed as separate images ready for post-processing.

Static scenes

HDR photography is best used for static or mostly static scenes. Due to the camera requiring to capture and process the same scene at a number of exposures any large movement of the subjects within the scene may cause a ghosting effect in the final HDR photograph.

Build an online portfolio of your HDR photography

Creating a website and uploading your best HDR photographs to build a portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills. Social accounts such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram are also great ways to display your HDR photos.

High dynamic range (HDR) Photographers

HDR photography is most frequently employed by landscape photographers and real estate photographers. Landscape photographers will often use the HDR technique for early morning and late afternoon golden hour scenes so that the highest dynamic range can be captured in the final HDR photograph.

Real estate photographers may use this method as a quick way to photograph the external and internal elements of a property. Although, there is a lot of conjecture amongst real estate photographers as to the best method to photograph a property – using HDR photography, blended flash or natural light methods.

Software

HDR photography techniques and software can produce some of the most dramatic and beautiful high contrast scenes, with Photomatix and Lightroom being commonly used software for processing HDR photographs.

Most smartphones have the ability to capture HDR images and process them internally within the phone, however results can be a bit hit and miss using the smart phone’s automatic settings. There are many apps available for smartphones that will process your photos into images with a high dynamic range.