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First try on HDR

A boring weekend trapped in KL drive me to discover new things with my camera. I learn HDR (High-Dynamic Range) Image today.

The steps are easy: you capture multiple exposure images from darker to lighter, and then use software to process them. The software will 'blend' all images of different exposure and give you a final piece which has so many details that looks so fake, but it's fun.

To start, all you need is a camera that allow you to capture photo at different exposure. Firstly, i used the Auto bracketing (AE BKT) in combination with continous shooting function in my camera which snap 3 photos at a maximum exposure of +/- 1 interval. However, the outcome is not very satisfying. So, I decided to capture these range of images manually. I used a tripod and make sure it is stable while doing adjustment for shooting. I switched the DSLR camera to Aperture mode and then shoot 10 photos at interval of +/-1 exposure.

With these pictures I pumped into the popular Photomatix Software. It's not the only way to do it after all: you can generate HDR in your favorite photoshop thru: File -> Automate -> Merge to HDR.

Personally, I found Photomatix to be very user friendly and give a more lively outcome in the tone mapping stage. In fact, photoshop could do the same too but probably more steps manually.

After few trial, I think HDR is good on reflection surface, for example a lake reflection or the mirror reflection as shown here. Besides, it is also best use on textured surface. However, I think it doesn't looks good on moving object with motion.

Well, i will definitely like to try it in a cloudy outdoor shooting in near future. Probably, in the coming Bali trip :)