Dynamic range - making the most of what we've got.

[Tarnash]

Kia ora tatau, greetings All.  I've been a long time viewer but this will be my first post (code for: please excuse my ignorance).  This is a technique rather than a gear question. I live in New Zealand where the light is often harsh and the dynamic range of scenes I'd like to capture (well) can be extreme.  I'm hoping for some tips or techniques that will enhance my understanding/skill in capturing high dynamic range scenes without having to completely retool.  (I'm currently using a high end APSC camera and good/fast glass, polarising & various ND filters).  I've played with HDR stacking which, whilst it's good for things that remain static, is less than optimal for a lot of the scenes I like to shoot (think waves). I'm in awe of some of the work of forum members and any tips, ideas or suggestions you may have to offer would be very much appreciated. That said, I do understand the `holy grail' nature of the question.  I guess I just want some assurance that I'm not missing something.   

[D Fuller]

Well, the answer will depend a lot on what you are shooting. If we're talking about non-static subjects where HDR techniques are ruled out, there are essentially three approaches:

• Add fill light. It can be reflectors or flash or hot lights. And it doesn't have to be much, just enough to bring the shadows put of the noise so that you can work with them in post-production.
• Filter light. This works for things like landscapes and some architectural situations (and so often not a great strategy for moving subjects). It's very useful for bringing sky and clouds down to the level of other things in the picture.
• Choose where you want to see detail. If you look at non-studio photography from any time in the 20th century, you will see photographers making choices about what part of the dynamic range fo the film they want to see in the print. If you look at the work of Eugene Smith, you'll see a lot of black.
  
  He's shoosing to let the shadows have very little detail so that what's in the light has all the attention.
  In the photo above it's become very graphic. In the photo below, it's less extreme, but the same technique is at play.
  
  

Modern sensore have a lot more dynamic range than film did in all but the most exquisitely controlled work methods, so your range of choices is much greater. But you still have to learn to make choices. It's all about capturing the light in a way that lets you produce the final image you saw in your mind when you shot it.

[Colorado David]

You can still use HDR software with moving objects.  Process your raw image for the highlights, for the mid-tones, and for the shadows.  Then use these three specifically processed images in your HDR composition.  With the Nikon D800 and D810 I have found that I resort to HDR less and less due to the excellent dynamic range.  That's not a plug for a particular camera, just my experience with them.

[David Sutton]

Kia ora Tarnash.
What the others have said. Here in the South Island there are some times of day and locations that have a challenging dynamic range. I loath having to fuss with filters. Usually by paying close attention to the histogram I can get most images in one shot. (Take your camera and find out how far you can shift the histogram to the right before the raw file has unrecoverable highlights).  For moving subjects like birds I usually go manual, take a reading off the sky and add maybe one stop. The camera will give me blinkies on the highlights but the raw file is fine, especially if I process the file twice, once for shadows and once for highlights. Shadow recovery from many sensors today is astonishing.
David

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Optimal exposure is important. Generally, you would strive for maximum exposure just avoiding clipped highlights. On most cameras base ISO delivers optimal DR, but Canon cameras may work a bit different, with DR being quite constant over the low ISO range.

Once you have a well exposed image you can compress the highlights and enhance the shadows. Lightroom uses a "mild" local adpotion for this and can be quite useful.

You can also use two different exposures and blend manually, it is not very hard in many cases.

The images below were processed from two images. One exposed for the sky and another exposed for more detail. Left image is HDR done in Lightroom using internal algorithm.

The HDR image has clean shadows, while significant noise reduction was applied to the low exposure image. Settings shown in LR6 for the low exposure image.

Camera: Sony A99 at base ISO

Best regards
Erik

Kia ora tatau, greetings All.  I've been a long time viewer but this will be my first post (code for: please excuse my ignorance).  This is a technique rather than a gear question. I live in New Zealand where the light is often harsh and the dynamic range of scenes I'd like to capture (well) can be extreme.  I'm hoping for some tips or techniques that will enhance my understanding/skill in capturing high dynamic range scenes without having to completely retool.  (I'm currently using a high end APSC camera and good/fast glass, polarising & various ND filters).  I've played with HDR stacking which, whilst it's good for things that remain static, is less than optimal for a lot of the scenes I like to shoot (think waves). I'm in awe of some of the work of forum members and any tips, ideas or suggestions you may have to offer would be very much appreciated. That said, I do understand the `holy grail' nature of the question.  I guess I just want some assurance that I'm not missing something.   

[bjanes]

Well, the answer will depend a lot on what you are shooting. If we're talking about non-static subjects where HDR techniques are ruled out, there are essentially three approaches:

• Add fill light. It can be reflectors or flash or hot lights. And it doesn't have to be much, just enough to bring the shadows put of the noise so that you can work with them in post-production.
• Filter light. This works for things like landscapes and some architectural situations (and so often not a great strategy for moving subjects). It's very useful for bringing sky and clouds down to the level of other things in the picture.
• Choose where you want to see detail. If you look at non-studio photography from any time in the 20th century, you will see photographers making choices about what part of the dynamic range fo the film they want to see in the print. If you look at the work of Eugene Smith, you'll see a lot of black.
  

In addition to these pointers, one should take measures to reduce flare, which washes out the shadows and can dramatically reduce DR. The first step is to use the lens hood. If possible, one can position the camera in a shadowed area with the camera pointed towards the bright scene. If you use a protective UV filter, make sure you have a high quality one with the latest multi-coatings. With very high DR scenes such as night photography, consider removing the protective filter from the lens.

Regards,

Bill

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

In addition to these pointers, one should take measures to reduce flare, which washes out the shadows and can dramatically reduce DR. The first step is to use the lens hood. If possible, one can position the camera in a shadowed area with the camera pointed towards the bright scene.

I agree with Bill, veiling glare will reduce effective dynamic range and saturation. Often overlooked is that with a zoom lens, the hood may be somewhat under-dimensioned for the longest tele position. One could either replace, or modify the lens hood for a deeper model for that specific focal length.

If you use a protective UV filter, make sure you have a high quality one with the latest multi-coatings.

Yes, that helps if the use of such a filter is unavoidable, but using a filter would again require a deeper lens hood.

Normal lens hoods are a compromise between portability and effectiveness, but one cannot beat a custom sized deep petal shaped lens hood if image quality is the main concern. Here is some more background. Focus distance and aperture also have an influence on the required depth of the hood, narrower apertures and closer focus distances tolerate even deeper hoods, so the design should be tailored for the shooting scenario.

That, and expose to the right (ETTR) are the best weapons against loss of DR in a single shot.

Cheers,
Bart

[Tarnash]

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses.  
Adding light is not an option for me in most of the scenes I'm attempting to do justice to, but paying closer attention to `priority areas' when selecting  exposure settings is something I could do better/more. (I'm familiar with the `zone' system but don't use it enough).
I think I also pay too much attention to `blinkies' and could ETTR more than I do. I'll experiment to find out how far I can push exposures before actually losing highlight detail.  
I will certainly try the suggestion to copy RAW files exposing one for highlights and the other for shadows - don't know why I didn't think of that myself.
I always use a lens hood unless I'm using filters (CPL's are a pain to use with a deep hood and I can't fit ND's with the hood attached) however, I will certainly pay more attention to what's going on at the `front end' of the lens in future.  I appreciate the time and trouble taken to reply and I've got some ideas about what I can try to do differently so, again, many thanks.