Wednesday, October 28, 2009

HDR Photography How To- "On Golden Pond"


Click for larger image.

First of all, I'd like to thank Tom aka Fishing Guy, from Kent Ohio, and Heather of the Hills, for inspiring me borrow the original "On Golden Pond" film from the library. I was explaining that I'd never seen a loon at Little Pond, Maine, and Tom was surprised, since the movie "On Golden Pond" portrays them as a regular sight and sound for the Thayers. Not so for Little Pond- I just don't think it is big enough to support loons.

Getting back to the movie- Megan and I watched it, and although it is a bit dated, a bit slow, and a bit cheesy- it was really worth our time. The movie does a superb job of illustrating what the lake life is like in Maine- idyllic.

Now, onto how I created the picture above. Obviously, this type of view is something that an ordinary camera cannot capture with a single image. However, using a photographic technique called high dynamic range photography, or HDR, we photographers can take multiple exposures of the same scene and merge them in a software called Photomatix. The resulting merged image can then be tone mapped, also using Photomatix, to allow the bright areas and the shadow areas of the image to be exposed as the eye would see them in nature.

Let's see how this works- here are the three images that went into making my On Golden Pond- Little Pond photograph-.




The three shots are not exactly impressive are they? One reason for this is that they're minimally processed RAW files, straight out of the camera. Photomatix, with a great deal of input from the user by adjusting many features with sliders and buttons, can really make magic.



Tom

P.S. I'll give 10 points, yes, 10 points, to the commenter that can correctly identify the scientific name of the deciduous tree prominently featured in the right hand portion of this image.

15 comments:

  1. Excellent photo! I'm still learning how to handle raw files

    www.thequieone.net

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Darn it, someone beat me to the Tamarack...

    It's such a little element but, i love the little shadow on the dock.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My first response to your post was Wow! What a photo! And I still think that, even after seeing what a job it was to make it look so good. Aren't digital cameras great? Especially when you know how to work all the bells and whistles.

    I agree with Jain that the tree is an American Larch (Larix laricina), our only deciduous conifer and one that is turning all golden about now, before it drops all its needles.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's a tamarack, just like at the Kent Bog! ( I didn't look at any of the other comments!
    mom

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'll have to try Photomatrix. Photoshop, and PhotoImpact (the program I use), both have HDR functions but I find them difficult to use. My images never quite line up, even when I'd set the camera on a tripod and used a remote shutter release.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, and re: the loons, I've read that they prefer a minimum of 100 acres of water surface for breeding (unless it's a very fish-rich lake), and smaller lakes might get some foraging but not regular presence.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Breathtaking! That's all I have - the magic isn't less for knowing how it is done!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I left a comment about this one over on your photo blog before I got to this post, so now I know it's HDR. Glad you rented/borrowed "On Golden Pond." I was quite young when I saw it in the theater, but it would probably be worth renting. I'm sure I would enjoy it more now. I didn't really understand it when I was a kid.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh.My.Golden.Goodness! This is absolutely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! I would LOVE to know how to produce HDR images.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely photo! I'm light years behind most people, where computer graphics programs are concerned. I've been using the same one (PhotoImpact, that came with a scanner,) since 1998. I've never used Photoshop, Photomatrix or anything else (which probably explains why so many of my shots are merely "okay" at best.)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well, it is too complicated for me, but the end result is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Still not sure how you did that but it's a lovely photo. And, the movie is good too. I wouldn't have a clue on that tree.

    ReplyDelete
  14. There have been so many times that I've thought I've responded to my comments on the laptop, only to realize that I didn't complete the process. Ugh!

    Thanks everyone for you kind comments. I encourage all of you to download the Software Photomatix and give HDR a try- You'll have a blast!

    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, and I forgot to congratulate those that recognized this deciduous conifer as Larix laricina, Tamarack or American larch. Great job plant lovers.

    Tom

    ReplyDelete