With evolving technological advancements in today’s world, HDR photography has overpowered customary film photography to a great extent. HDR or High Dynamic Range cameras merge multiple exposures of a single scene to create an image with a sharp color contrast. A manual camera could be used with appropriate software to get HDR images, though several camera models come with advantageous features to simplify the High Dynamic Range process. The end result of this process is a stunning image, which is as real as directly viewing with the human eye.
A HDR camera has an auto-exposure bracketing feature that swiftly captures multiple photos of a scene using different exposures. It may also have a burst mode that takes multiple shots with one push of its shutter button, thereby reducing camera shake in between each shot. Many models come with software that helps create these HDR images in the camera. In this case, there is no need of extensive computer editing and the processing part is not-time consuming. A HDR camera should allow manual adjustments for white balance, ISO, focus and aperture, and it must necessarily have a continuous shooting mode and timer. Further, a tripod is essential to capture scenes for creating a HDR image.
Advanced digital cameras come with HDR and SLR (Single Lens Reflex). A digital photographer can manipulate the special tools that enable special functions to take astonishingly clear photographs. They come with a comprehensive range of pre-settings to cater to the needs of any scene. Further, they offer full manual controls for adventurous photographers and provide user-friendly menus and controls. Versatile digicams offer focus and high speed to shoot in RAW formats. HDR Canon G12, HDR Nikon D700 and SLR Nikon D3X are among the advanced HDR digital cameras.
A digital photographer can use HDR software to merge at least three images to create a stunning photo. A moving subject is not suitable for HDR and hence, a completely still and weather proof subject is chosen. The digital camera is fixed on a tripod to make sure that the camera is still and it is set in the RAW mode to capture a series of images of the subject and lighting. The shutter speed is changed to capture different images of the scene. The images are loaded to the computer, and the three best ones are chosen and dragged to a photo editing software like Photoshop. After double-checking the photo tints and temperatures, the ‘Merge to HDR’ option is clicked to combine the three images. A preview of the final HDR will reveal that it amazingly mimics the human eye view.
Digital photography is swift and easy with user-friendly features, as it uses electronic technology for image capture. The resultant image is manipulated and stored in digital format, unlike traditional methods that involve chemical processes. A digital photographer should understand the lighting basics and resolution of the image, in order to create an optimum lighting effect and the sharpness of the image. The digital technology is enhanced by HDR technology that records the shadows and accentuations in high-contrast pictures in the most effective manner.