iPhonography :: The HDR Really Works!

I was demonstrating what HDR processing can do for an image during a class I was teaching yesterday at Saints Volodymyr & Olha Church in Chicago.  I was delighted to see that the HDR development setting on an iPhone 4S camera does actually improve the image in the way High Dynamic Range image processing software is supposed to.

These images were taken inside the church, hand-held, no image enhancements other than the HDR setting on the iPhone. Usually if you expose for the inside of the church, the windows go all white.  If you expose for the windows, the church interior goes all black.  With the HDR setting, you see detail in both the church interior and the windows.

Here’s the image without HDR.  See the white windows?

No HDR – White Windows

Here’s the image with HDR.  Ahh!  The windows have color and detail again!

With HDR – Colorful Windows

Thanks, Apple!!

I’ll be posting more insights into the magical iPhone camera soon.  Let me know if there’s a particular App or topic you’re curious about!

~~ Keep focusing on the beautiful!

Harry Hitzeman

Canyonlands National Park :: Mesa Arch Starburst

I have just published the Mesa Arch Gallery, and one of my favorites from this location is this sunburst effect at sunrise.

Mesa Arch Starbust

Mesa Arch is such a popular location in Canyonlands National Park, I had to get up very early to get a spot to photograph the arch before all the other photographers and tourists arrived.  Ahhhh — Nature!

It was a beautiful sight.  This image is actually an HDR composite of 2 images.  The trick is to take one shot exposing for the close side of the arch before the sun comes up, and another when the sun comes up with the aperture closed down to about f3o, which makes the arch look pretty black.

My First Book

You can view my first photography book, “The Wonders of Oregon”  in full-screen mode to read the quotes from writers and poets such as Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lao Tzu, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Albert Schweitzer.  I really like this way of juxtaposing these beautiful images with the quotes of these great writers.

HDR Software Comparison :: Bodes General Store

I’ve heard and read so much about HDR photography that I wanted to do a quick comparison of the leading software packages – Adobe Photoshop CS4 HDR component, Photomatix Pro 4, and Nik Software HDR Efex Pro.

The image below is my favorite from the three software packages, expressing a light-filled and colorfully fun place, inviting the viewer to come and sit and have a cooling drink with friends.  Read on to see which software package was used to create this image and where it was taken.

“Bode’s General Store”

For those unfamiliar with High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, it is a set of techniques that allow an image to portray a greater range of luminance between its lightest and darkest areas than current standard digital imaging techniques. HDR images can more accurately represent the range of light and shadow levels that the human eye can perceive in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.  For reference, a digital camera can record a range of about 5 exposure stops in one scene, while the human eye perceives about 11 exposure stops.

The scene I chose for this comparison was this colorful scene inside Bode’s General Store in Abiquiu, New Mexico.  It contains a range of luminance too great for the camera to record.  It includes light coming in through two walls of windows, and the dark interior shadows beneath the tables.

• If I set my camera to expose for the window light, the interior shadows are black with no detail.
• If I set my camera to expose for the interior shadows, the windows are white with no detail.
• Since I wanted to create a single image with detail in both light and dark areas of the scene, I knew I had to take multiple exposures over a range and combine the images using HDR software.

Below are the three exposures I took of this scene using ISO 100, aperture f/16, at shutter speeds of 1/3 second, 1.3 seconds, and 5 seconds.

A Comparison of the Results

Adobe Photoshop CS4 HDR

I found this software to be the most difficult to work with.  Instructions on controls were unclear.  The image coming out was muddy, and required additional processing in Lightroom to bring back color and contrast.  I was still not happy with the results.

Photomatix Pro

To be fair, I only ran this software once, and I need to study it more.  However, I was surprised at how easily it produced a nicely balanced image on the first try.  I did not need make many adjustments.  This is probably the most “realistic” looking interpretation.

Nik HDR Efex Pro

(See image at top of this post.) I liked this software the best for now, mostly because of the understandable interface and the great results.  It also has the greatest control with the ability to edit localized areas of the image using Nik’s control point technology.  I took it a little beyond “realistic” for a more artistic effect.

Conclusion

For now, I recommend Nik HDR Efex Pro, with Photomatix Pro a close second. It may be worth more study to get good with Photomatix Pro. I would forget about Adobe Photoshop CS4’s HDR.  (I have not tried Adobe Photoshop CS5’s HDR, but have read that it’s not that much better than CS4.)

Next time you are in Abiquiu, New Mexico, be sure to visit the 110 year old landmark, Bode’s General Store, and enjoy this colorful place for yourself!