Staghorn Cholla with Palo Verde
Thomas Edison said about his experiments leading to the light bulb, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Keeping Edison in mind, I find that every experiment is a success so long as the goal is to learn something new.
The image above is an experiment with HDR (high-dynamic-range) photography. The day was clear and bright. The subjects were in dappled sunlight and deep shadows. The lighting did not favor either plant. In addition, the complexity of cholla with its thousands of spines and the palo verde’s tangle of sinuous green limbs made for a very busy composition.
In such situations, I would have either chosen to do a closeup of the cholla, presenting some aspect that was the essence of the plant, or skipped the shot and moved on. However, I was attracted me was the cholla’s pale magenta color. I was also interested to see what an HDR image would show me.
HDR is the result of a process that combines multiple photos taken with different exposure times. All other settings are the same. It is important that the f-stop be identical so that the depth of field is the same.
HDRis best used when there is an extremely wide range (dynamic range) of light in the scene. Digital cameras have a limited dynamic range and don’t have the ability to capture details in both the brightest highlights and the darkest shadows. The way around this short coming is to take a series of photos that cover the entire range of light and then combine them. Thus, you create an image with a dynamic range that comes closer to what the human eye can see and what emulsion photography can capture.
For me, HDR presents a rich unknown: because multiple digital images are combined, there are many variables and much to learn. What enhances an HDR image and what detracts from it? Are some subjects better that others? What techniques exist to adjust the HDR process and alter the resulting image?
Here is a closer look at a portion of the above image.
As I said at the start, this is an experiment. I am still evaluating this image.
I like the increased tonal range and the enhanced color. However, this expanded detail makes a complex image far more complex. How easy is it for the viewer to read the image?
More questions have been created. I love it.