 HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is a relatively new digital imaging technique that is becoming increasingly popular. HDR seeks to address one of the principal shortcomings of the current crop of consumer CCD camera sensors, namely a compressed dynamic range. When I made the switch to digital, one of the first things I noticed was that the comparitive lack of range of dynamic range compared to film. By dynamic range I mean the amount of exposure between the brightest and darkest subjects in a photo that are visible. In everyday shooting, the narrower exposure window of digital cameras is more than offset by the incredible flexibility and power of their modern imaging software. Even my low rent Nikon D40 is capable of producing consistently excellent results merely using auto mode. The tables turn however when taking a shot with both bright lights and dark shadows, leaving you with washed out highlights or a dark subject. Enter HDR, the basic gist of HDR photography is to take three or more exposures per shot using the bracketing feature of your camera to vary the exposure widely enough to avoid washing out the highlights and at the same time bring out the detail in the shadows. I really enjoy low light photography, and after seeing a number of stunning HDR shots, I decided to give it a go. "Stuck in Customs" is a great website and resource for HDR techniques with a great tutorial on beginning HDR. Taking their advice I downloaded a trial version of Photomatrix HDR imaging software and went to town. Following the tutorial instructions I was easily able to produce the image above in 10-15 minutes and while I am not going to win a Pulitzer for it, I think it gives you an idea of the kind of results even a hack like myself can achieve. HDR is kindof a polarizing format, some purists loath it and in truth many practitioners over amp their photos to the point where they look like paintings. To me, that's O.K., I don't like everyone's music and I don't have to enjoy everyone's photography. A few side notes and recommendations; I recommend trying the free trial version of Photomatrix, it's easy to use, and fun to play with, you can use it as much as you want, but the trial version will put watermarks on your images like you see above. A tripod is pretty much required...I got a David & Sanford "Voyager" at Newtonville Camera for a reasonable price and it has been excellent, the staff at Newtonville is top rate as well. |
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I have had the Nikon D40 and the SB600 Speedlight for a few years now, and I have been very pleased with their performance. Nikon inadvertently struck gold with the D40, I say that because when it first came out it seemed as though they were playing catchup with Cannon who had already moved on with the new Digital Rebel. After all, the D40 only had a measly 6.1 MP sensor, how could it compete with Cannon's new Rebel which boasted 10.1 MP and 9 auto focus points (compared to the paltry 3 offered in the D40). Well it couldn't at it's initial offering price of $600, but a funny thing happened on the road to obsolescence to the D40. More... The price drop accompanying the inevitable selloff before new model introduction suddenly opened up a new market that had not yet been exploited. The d40 sold like hotcakes at around $450, being by far the least expensive DSLR on the market. Add the low price to growing recognition that the 6.1MP was all an amateur needed and that it outperformed similar sized 10MP camera's in low light, the d40 was also smaller lighter and more simple that the competition. Respected online reviews praised the performance/price ratio and, long story short, it is still on sale now, 4 years later (an eternity in consumer electronics). In many ways, the d40 is the digital equivalent of the Pentax K100 - a simple, cheap, reliable and high quality camera. There are a few things I could gripe about, I find Nikon's menu's and controls a bit cumbersome (the buttons on the grip are a bit cramped for me), but overall I am very happy. As good as it is, the adding the SB600 speedlight to the D40 is the best money I ever spent. It's not cheap, but the SB600's performance is astounding to me. In auto mode it does a fabulous job of daytime fill flash, and in low light it really reaches out much farther than you would think. Nikons i-TTL flash system is very sophisticated and works miracles compared to the pre-digital flashes I had used in the past. The fill flash performance alone is worth the money, and I highly recommend the SB600 over the cheaper alternatives. |
| These remarkable images were captured by Thierry Legault (a very accomplished amateur photographer) and show the shuttle and HST crossing in front of the sun. The shuttle and HST were travelling 15K MPH and the event lasted less than a second. You can read more about the shot and the mission in this article by the Daily Mail. |  |
| Justifiably famous for his iconic work like "The Flatiron", Steichen 1879 - 1973 was incredibly prolific. I suppose because photographic technology was rapidly evolving early in his career, there is alot of variability in his early pictures. It's rare in my opinion to find a modern day artist who's work is so consistently excellent in so many styles. I was going to pick one of his more famous photo's like "Pond- Moonlight" which sold recently for 2.9 Million. But then I saw the photo below called "The Blue Sky". The photo is of Dana Desboro Glover a young actress, in 1923, the year she and Steichen were married. There is so much raw affection in the way it's composed. I guess today it would be considered trite or cliche, but I find it touching. Here are a few links if you want to see & learn more. Larger Flatiron A nice assortment Some of the earliest color photos |  |
| Battleship Connecticut on speed trials in 1906 off the coast of Maine. The ship looks like it's prepped for the Great White Fleet circumnavigation with the decorative scrollwork on the bow and what looks to be white paint. The photo was taken by Enrique Muller |
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