Monday, August 15, 2016

Capturing and Teaching High Dynamic Range Imagery on the iPhone


High Dynamic Range photography is not new, but teaching the concept to non photographers is always a "wow" when they see it in action. It is a part my curriculum when conducting the "Getting Started in iPhone Photography" workshops sponsored by Capital Photography Center and my sessions at Johns Hopkins in their Odyssey Program.
I like to capture images with Bracket Mode, even though there are numerous quality HDR apps available. It's easy, it's effective and I can just keep shooting, no need to stop and process while capturing the images. I like to process later; when I am shooting, I just want to shoot. I use the Pro HDR X app to process the two captured images from Bracket Mode. Pro HDR though still available in the app store will not handle the larger 12mp files from the newer iPhones.

When using Bracket Mode you have to make a few simple settings within the app. You have to turn on "Auto Save" images. When you purchase it from the App store, it downloads with the default not to save them, don't ask me why...so you could shoot and never see a file, so make sure you fix that setting, by tapping on the cog like icon on the lower right of the App interface. Camera technique is also important during the capture process, a very steady hand is critical, so when the images blend they will overlay and create a sharp image file.

Below are two examples of the power of this app and its ability to Auto-detect the brightest and darkest part of an image. I will also be teaching two sessions at Johns Hopkins this fall in the Odyssey Program and hope you can join me there or at Capital Photography Center in DC.
Captured with Bracket Mode in Auto Mode (for the brightest area of the scene~ the sky)

Captured with Bracket Mode in Auto Mode (for the darkest area of the scene~ the foreground)

Blended image in Pro HDRx and then further processed using Snapseed for sharpening, saturation, and contrast.

Captured with Bracket Mode in Auto Mode (for the brightest area of the scene~ the sky)

Captured with Bracket Mode in Auto Mode (for the darkest area of the scene~ the foreground and under the roof of the gas station)

Blended image in Pro HDR X and then further processed using Snapseed for sharpening, saturation, and contrast.


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