PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSED

by John Peters A.R.P.S.

HDR

What is HDR or HDR Photography? Quickly and briefly, its a process of combining several photos taken at different exposure settings to produce a better final range of highlights and shadows.

HDR stands for “high dynamic range. You can read up on this elsewhere, I won't describe it in detail for now, but you are trying to make up for your equipment weaknesses. The dynamic range of cameras and lenses doesn't (yet) compete with the eye/brain combination. This more of an advanced technique so beginners can ignore HDR for now.

TOP TIP At a good or interesting location, before mounting your camera on a tripod, hold the camera up to your eye, move around, change your viewpoint, high and low, close-up, further away - decide on your best viewing angles, then use a tripod. Some of my favourite shots have been taken with a little compact camera I always carried, it had a very useful vari-angle screen fitted so I could hold it high or low with one hand and create some photographs with unusal viewpoints.

Always ask permission if you are to venture onto private land, particularly if you are to take photographs. I went to the farmers house and asked in advance. I later gave him a finished print too, F.O.C.

My full frame DSLR shots were not successful this day. I was able to produce better photographs by poking a wee compact camera under the electric fence enclosing the animals. HDR, a compact camera with vari-angle screen, low viewpoint for effect and some extra hard work. Normally, a straight shot of the pigs would have resulted in a less punchy shot and a bleached out sky. Subtle burning and dodging also helped the shot. Get down low, particularly with babies and animals, get down to their level for a more effective photograph.