One of the first and challenging concepts new photographers must learn is how much different our eyes see the world versus our cameras. For example, on a bright sunny day we are easily able to see both objects in direct sunlight and also objects in the shade.

A digital camera however can not do this very well. Usually when there are extreme differences in lighting, only either the bright area of the dark area can be properly exposed while the other area has little visible detail. To overcome this technological limitation we use a technique called High Dynamic Range imaging usually abbreviated as HDR.

The primary way this technique is performed is by taking multiple shots of a scene at different exposures and then blending the best parts of each image together with software like Adobe Photoshop or Photomatix. The end result is a single image with much more detail in the brightest and darkest parts of an image. Only very recently some camera manufacturers have begun building this technology directly into the camera without the need for external software. Still, like anything that’s done for you automatically for you, you’ll have much more control over the final image with software.

If you’d like to learn how to make your own HDR images sign up for our one day HDR Workshop on April 21st!

Written by Trevor Warren
Photo by Serge Melki