High Dynamic Range (HDR) images have been about for a while but have split the photographic world's opinion. Many love the results, many hate them. Some call it a cheat, some call it a passing fad; other say it is a logical step forward. So why do HDR? To produce images that have a tonal range approaching that of the human eye. Basically HDR attempts to capture a much wider range of tones than can be recorded by the camera's sensor in a single image. How? By combining 3 or more images, each with a different exposure level, to produce a final wide tonal range image. Just as a panorama is made up of several images joined together to produce a field of view wider than the capabilities of the lens that took the images. The problem is that it is all too easy to push the process and end up with a dog's dinner that, because it is so different from the original, initially looks spectacularly fantastic but really doesn't stand up to critical examination. As with most things in this game I think it is a question of balance (not just taste).
Why am I wittering on about this? Well yes, I'm tempted to give it a go. Only I hope not to end up with a dog's dinner or be totally star struck by the whole deal. Time,results and not least your comments will tell!

04/10/2012