High Dynamic Range

In photography, dynamic range is the difference between the lightest and darkest regions in a photograph. When dynamic range is limited, highlights wash out to white, or shadows deepen into dark blobs. HDR techniques expand the range of a camera to capture shadow and highlight details at the same time.

HDR is accomplished by bracketing shots—that is, taking three to seven shots of the same subject but at different exposure settings. Shots range from overexposed to normal to underexposed. A conventional camera on a tripod can accomplish this. We use the Nikon D800, which has an auto-bracket feature. We then use software like Photomatix Pro to selectively pull the most interesting details from the different bands of exposure to create a single image. All that’s left is to crop and insert a high-quality image into your website, brochure, or video.

Deepen the Learning

After Vienna saw what HDR technology could do for a business project, she wanted to experiment with its creative potential. She also wanted the benefit of immediately using a new technique to drive home the learning. Here are the results.

Let us show you what HDR can do for your next photoshoot.

A recent photography excursion to Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden yielded several million pixels. The challenge was to play with photographer as camera, sculpture as companion, and natural light on a gloriously cloudy day.

Taking a photograph used to be about film, chemicals, and a dark room. These days it’s about megapixels, ISO sensitivity, and dynamic range. But what all photos have in common is light, and capturing the right amount of light in the right spot is one of the biggest differences between some dude with a camera and a great photographer.

Treehouse in Daylight

The daytime shot is simple enough. Just wait for the right time of day. Natural filtered light shows off the details in the rope, the wood, and even the grass. But one of the cool features of the treehouse is how it’s wired for electricity. To show how it glows in the dark we need to switch to night time.

Treehouse Before

Wired with electricity, this treehouse is easy to light from the inside, but you can’t see the lights in all their glory until the sun goes down. The trouble is that when the sun goes down, you can’t see much of the exterior.

Lighting Plan

Flood lights overhead lit up the left side and some of the leaves. The modeling lights with umbrellas lit the right tree and the ramp. Then, by carefully hanging a strobe light (SB-900) from the back roof and bouncing it off the side of the treehouse we can illuminate the rope bridge and the flag. Finally, a second strobe perched on the far window sill on 1/128 power brightens the yellow turbo slide and the far tree.

Treehouse After

Now we can see the depth of the structure, the texture in the wood, and the playfulness of the entire thing.

Any kids dream!