B_P_2015_04_

BETTER PHOTOGRaPHY

85

aPRIL 2015

Before you begin

photographing an HDR

image, make sure that

your subject or the scene

is contrasty.

Your Camera Does Not matter

When people think about High Dynamic

Range images, they equate it with colour

photographs that are eye-popping and

vibrant. But, HDR is also a very effective

tool for B&W photography as well.

The good thing about creating an HDR

image is that it is not dependent on a

particular device. Your DSLR, compact

camera and even your cellphone’s camera

can shoot great HDRs, provided that you

download an app that lets your bracket for

exposure in the latter.

So don’t worry if you think that your

device is incapable of capturing a wide

variety of tones. That is the whole point of

shooting in HDR.

Capturing the Finer Details

Most of us don’t really pay attention to the

different shades of grey in black and white

photographs. This is largely because most

cameras are not equipped to capture the

mid tone grey areas that often habour tiny

details and textures.

For instance, pay attention to how the sun

lights up the different crevices and contours

on a boulder. By shooting in HDR, all these

tiny nooks and crannies will be highlighted.

Creating a Realistic Rendition

HDR does not always have to mean high

defi nition or high contrast photographs.

You can use it and still remain subtle.

One example is using HDR to prevent

a few highlights from getting blown

out in the image, or maybe to reveal

an interesting subject that is hidden in

BLaCK aND wHITE HDR

When shooting a

panorama, avoid

using a fl ash. This can

lead to uneven

illumination throughout

the photograph.

Quick Tip

shadows However, be cautious about the

extent of its usage, because you don’t want

your viewer to notice that the fi nal image is

an HDR rendition.

Not Overdoing it

Ensure that you don’t go overboard with the

tones in your HDR photograph.

As it is, your picture will contain strong

tones. You don’t want to overdo it by

increasing the saturation and contrast to the

Raj Lalwani

essay. Not only will they have a series of

timeless wedding pictures to remind them

of their most important day, but it will

also be a lovely addition to the wedding

photography package.

masking Imperfections

If you notice that a few of your colour

images contain a lot of noise, on account of

using a high ISO, the good thing would be

to convert the image to black and white. It

wouldn’t even look out of place as a grainy

image can look much better in B&W.