Reality Leaves a Lot to the Imagination

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" is one of my favorite John Lennon quotes. Think about it and you'll realize that it's true. I was thinking about this quote when I was photographing a pond near my house. I was trying to envision how the pond would look if I used Photomatix Pro from HDR Software on a set of seven pictures (each taken at a different exposure setting).

I was trying to Imagine (envision) the possibilities that awaited me in Photomatix when I photographed the scene - which had a very high dynamic range. Sure, with the 11-f-stop range of my eyes, I could see into the shadows and see details in the clouds at the same time - but my digital SLR, with its 5-stop range, cold not capture what I was seeing.

Photomatix to the rescue.. with a bit of standard Aperture 2 adjustments (selective enhancements using the Dodge & Burn tool (which I talk about in this PCPhoto article).

The next time you are shooting in a high contrast situation, think about John Lennon's quote - and HDR. Your reality is only limited by your imagination.

By the way, check out Hydra, one of many Aperture Plug-ins. It lets you create HDR images without leaving Aperture.

Rick
P.S. I am offering one-day, HDR classes in Croton-on-Hudson, NY - one hour from NYC. Drop me an email to get on the schedule: ricksammon@mac.com.