Friday, October 26, 2012

Individual Photography Assignment: HDR Process

In this assignment we were assigned to create a series of photographs using a photography technique that we were interested in. I have always been a fan of HDR(High Dynamic Range) photographs so i decided to pick that for this assignment. 

What is HDR?

The average camera only has a dynamic range of about 5-7 F-stops, while the human eye can see around 10-14 at a single time. This is why some photographs look flatter and duller than if we were to see the scene with our own eyes. We can achieve this same effect using the HDR. HDR is taking 3 or more photos of the exact same scene, but at different exposures (1 Normal, 1 overexposed, 1 underexposed. Then when combining them it creates a high dynamic range image that gives it a lot more depth.

I chose to shoot photos of different skate spots in toronto and what skateboarders see vs what the average human sees. A normal person might see a bench or a flight of stairs but a skaters mind is adapted to see the spot differently. Our minds automatically start creating spots in our heads and the possibilities of tricks that could be done down it.  I chose HDR for this because it shows what we see instead of the average person. Something vivid and exciting. I will be shooting photos around Toronto of the spots that have influenced my skating style the most. This includes different photos such as skateparks a well as skatespots. 

I had first come across HDR when I was given an assignment to research a photography technique back in grade 9. 

Here are 2 Photos that i took of my backyard and a wall of tv's in our school.