Fully exposed photos

[AaronLLockhart]

Alright, here is the newbie in me coming out. I've seen quite a few shots like this and always wondered how it's done. The only thing I can guess is that it's an HDR with a HUGE EV difference in the bracketed photos. Anyway. Could anyone please explain to me how to get these results?



I know apparently I'm not supposed to post work that doesn't belong to me, and no copryright infringement intended. Just looking for help. To elaborate. Normally when this shot is taken to where the landscape can be highly detailed, the sky is blown out, and to get the sky to expose in detail, the landscape will be underexposed to a point it looks pitch black. So, how do they get it completely exposed like this?

 

[The_Traveler]

yes

 

[fjrabon]

yes, that's HDR (and not particularly well done either, the trees on the far side of the river in the middle of the frame should have been darkened in post)

 

[SCraig]

You take several photographs. How many depends on the dynamic range of the image you are trying to capture. Generally speaking you shoot an image that is properly exposed for the shadows (or even one that is underexposed) all the way to one that is properly exposed for the highlights (or even one that is overexposed) one EV apart. They are then combined using HDR software to generate the final image.

When it's done properly the results are outstanding. When it's done improperly the results look cartoon-ish or "Overcooked". There are a number of examples of both good and bad in the HDR section of this forum.

Edit ... One caveat is that they need to be pretty much exactly in the same position. The software can compensate for slight movement but not a great deal. A tripod is a big benefit when shooting HDR.

 

[Ysarex]

That photo (just put a link to the photo rather than post it) could be an HDR, but there are other alternatives. It could also be processed out of a singe Raw capture. Here's an example:



The top photo is the camera JPEG. The bottom version was processed from the Raw file. I live in an ethnic neighborhood (which I love) and I walked down to the church festival this past October. The neighborhood geezer band was playing Vieni Sul Mar and the church bulletin lady wanted a photo for the bulletin -- there I was with my camera. So there's the band wearing white, sitting in direct sun in front of the church which is fully in the shade and they're moving as they play (no HDR, beside I don't carry my tripod to the church festival). An impossible photograph as the camera JPEG would suggest. I set the EC on the camera to -.7 and told the church bulletin lady, "sure, I got it."

Raw capture made the bottom photo possible.

Joe