When I should use HDR? That question was asked by reader tempo dulu. First of all, we should distinguish popular gritty HDR look – overly contrasted and saturated images that appear unrealistic and true HDR which is sophisticatedly blended composition of several differently exposed images. True HDR intention is to capture the dynamic range of the scene the human eye sees but camera can’t reproduce with a single shot. Using different exposures, the HDR software makes the final HDR processed picture look as close as human eye saw the scene. Here are some points you should consider about HDR photography.
HDR photography is time consuming
You have to make several exposures using tripod for better results. Postprocessing using HDR software to achieve desired look will take even more time.
HDR is perfect for high contrast scenes
HDR photography use is fully justified when you want to shoot a high dynamic range scene which is impossible to do other way, i.e. a scene where the contrast is so high that highlights and shadows record as pure white and black.
Scenes which are good in HDR
Landscapes and outdoor photos with significant highlights or strongly lit reflective surfaces. Indoor or outdoor architectural photography, with combined natural and artificial light. Classics of HDR use are sunrises and sunsets, winter scenes, mountains capes of ice.
Static vs. Dynamic scenes
Since true HDR technique requires several exposure bracketed images, it works best with static scenes. Some photographers create stunning HDR of sport events or people in action using single RAW file and pseudo HDR post processing.
Unrealistic HDR look is an artistic effect
There’s certainly a beauty in fake HDR look and some stunning HDR photos are made using this technique. However, not every photo should look the same. It does make sense to do both overcooked highly contrast HDR images and highly realistic traditional HDR as well. It’s just matter of taste.
HDR alternative – Neutral Density filter
Neutral Density filter is the best alternative to HDR to get a realistic result especially if your goal is to capture a horizon line. If you don’t mind to sacrifice details in the shadows, Neutral Density filter could save you tons of time.
Conclusion
It’s all about trial-and-error method. Often you can’t decide whether to try HDR look or leave the photo as is without trying first. Sometime scenes as though created for HDR look horrible when post processed. The opposite also happens.
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