HDR Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

1. What Is HDR and Why Use It?

ISO 100 • 1/2 sec., 1/4 sec., 1/8 sec. • f/16 • 17mm lens

The Problems That HDR Solves

Although HDR programs are a relatively new phenomenon, the problems they solve are as old as photography itself. Photographers have long struggled with the inability of the camera to render the scene as the eye perceives it. Our eyes are fantastic instruments that allow us to perceive detail over a very wide range of brightness. Cameras, however, have always failed to produce a photograph that matches what our eyes can see.

From the earliest days of the medium, photographers have been developing methods to remedy this disparity. ...