Look, this is a real important subject. If you have a little interest in photography, you must read this.
For years, my interest in photography is growing constantly. For the last one year I became a real “geek” about photography. 
A while ago, I saw the HDR photographs and I was really freaked out. Unbelievable clarity, clear, animated.. It was like a magazine print. I couldn’t believe in my eyes. Formerly I said “Naah, my camera is bad.” Then I tried better cameras and said “Gosh! I don’t know how to shoot properly..”, but even the cameras automatic shots weren’t this clear. I got suspicious. I started to wonder “HOW THE HELL ON THE EARTH THAT THEY CAN DO THIS?” First I read pages filled with lies. Then I found the right way.
Here’s what I saw: Photographs contain bright, shaded and dark areas. When you’re shooting, generally you’re focusing on one of these areas. I mean when you’re shooting in front of a mirror, it’s extremely bright. In order to decrease this light, you’re lowering the shooting time, but this time dark areas are becoming extremely dark and the details are becoming invisible. This happens everytime you take a photograph, but you do not notice.
Dynamic range is the lightning diffrence between the dark and the blazed area in a photograph. Lets say that you have three exposures when you’re shooting. (This number can be more.) At the same aperture, the first one is less shuttered (The dark tones are can be seem more clearer.) and the second one is extremely shuttered. What if we combine theese three photos with some help from a software?
We get a photograph with unbelievable clarity, extremely good black-white light balance and a high dynamic area.
ADVANTAGES OF HDR PHOTOGRAPHY
- An extremely good clarity that everyone will see.
- With HDR photography you don’t have to pay for expensive lightning systems and transport them.
- Its saves life when you have problems with opposite light at the time of shooting a historical artifact in museums etc.
HOW TO USE A DIGITAL CAMERA WHILE SHOOTING HDR?
If you ask: “I have a middle range camera. Do I have to buy a professional one?” My answer will be a simple “No.”
What do we need?
- A digital camera. (With changeable shutter)
- A tripod. (If you have one.)
- A software to combine the photographs. (Photomatix or Photoshop CS2 and upper versions)
Lets start.
- Put your camera in front of the entrenched object. The photometry has to be +2EV. Generally this has to be done manually when you’re in your “M” mode of your camera. F exposure value has to be constant during the process. You just have to change the shutter rate to a higher degree. (Now we shot the clear pose)
- For the second shot, set the photometry to 0EV. (This was the normal pose)
- For the last shot, set the photometry to -2EV. (This was the dark pose)
Some photographers give the EV rates like this:
-1EV, 0EV and +1EV or
-1EV, +1EV and +3EV
HOW TO USE A PROFESSIONAL CAMERA TO SHOOT HDR?
The cameras f aperture has to be constant. You just have to change the shutter. Lets say that you’re shooting six times and using 1/3, 1/10, 1/20, 1/40, 1/100, 1/250 shutter rates.
During the process it is so important not to shake the camera(remote control or shutter release cable can be useful) Do not change the f rate. Do not go up from ISO100. If you have bracket control, set to+2 EV 0EV and – 2EV and shoot three times. While shooting instead of RAW, JPEG usage can be better.
HOW TO TRANSFORM THE PHOTOS INTO HDR?
Professionals use Photomatix, but Photoshop is useful too.
PHOTOMATIX
- To download: http://www.hdrsoft.com/
- Install the program.
- Choose “Generate HDR” from HDRI menu.
- Choose the photos that you took with “browse”.
- Use the options that you see bellow. “Use Standard response curve” – “Align LDR images”
- You can edit the histograms by choosing “Tone Mapping” from the HDRI menu.
- TADAAAA! You have an HDR photo!
PHOTOSHOP
If you’re using CS2 or upper versions, making a HDR photo will not be a pain in the ass for you, but as i said, Photomatix is the professionals choice.
- Choose the “automate” option from the File menu. “Merge to HDR” choice will appear. If you choose and load the photos that you took, the result will appear shortly. You can also set the histogram by using the crossbar on the right side.
- If you plan to change the bit rate of your photo from 32-bit to 16-bit, you can use the bit setter on the right side of the same window.
- Another way to make HDR is to open the photos in Adobe Bridge and choose select all. Then choose “Merge to HDR” from the Tools menu.
FDRTOOLS
- Download the program from http://www.fdrtools.com/front_e.php
- Some photographers say that this program is better, but as I said Photomatix is widely used.
WHAT IS HDR?
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDRI
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_range
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range
HDR TECHNIQUES
- http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-create-professional-hdr-images.html (HDR and Photoshop)
- http://www.cybergrain.com/tech/hdr/
- http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/high-dynamic-range.htm
- http://www.flickr.com/groups/kuwaitphotographer/discuss/72057594115669427/
- http://www.metacafe.com/watch/419376/creating_amazing_hdr_photos_with_photoshop_cs2/ (Video)
- http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2006/11/creating_profes.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracketing (What is bracketing?)
WHAT IS RAW FORMAT?
HDR PHOTOS – Flickr HDR Groups
HDR SOFTWARE
- http://www.hdrsoft.com (Photomatix)
- http://www.hdrsoft.com/download.html
- http://www.hdrsoft.com/resources/tut0_win/part1.html
- http://www.fdrtools.com/front_e.php (Fdrtools)
- http://qtpfsgui.sourceforge.net (Qtpfsgui, freeware)