HDR Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Introduction

Like most photographers, I began carrying a point-and-shoot camera to capture memories of friends and family at weekend events and vacations. Curiosity, though, eventually led to my exploration of the camera’s “advanced” features. Slow shutter? Fill flash? Wow, that was cool. Thus began my 24-year obsession with photography.

It wasn’t long after I bought my first 35mm camera that I became familiar with the work of Ansel Adams. I remember marveling at his sensitivity to subject matter and at the beauty he created with his prints. Growing up in New Jersey, I was of course drawn to the magnificent and wild views of the West, but there was something else that drew me into Ansel’s work: dichotomy. He was as much an artist as he was a ...