HDR is the buzz world in the photography word for quite some years now.
Although it somewhat lost some of it’s shine, ever since we saw a huge load of very artificial looking photos – result of “overcooked” images.

It is very easy to go overboard with HDR and the actual challenge consists of creating high dynamic range images and at the same time retaining a natural look and feel.
You would think it should not be too hard to achieve just that, however going overboard with programs such as Photomatix or HDR Expose happens all too quickly.

Some of the more experienced HDR crowds know about this issue, and if that wasn’t bad enough, artifacts (where foliage or even the camera itself was shaking in between captures) can be a nightmare to get rid of.
One solution is layer-blending parts of the original capture (e.g. the 0 EV shot) over the areas where artifacts have occurred in the original image.

This is quite a time-consuming process, and the results can often still be underwhelming.
The key with HDR is subtlety. Less is definitely more.

Here is a shot from this morning. It’s been created from 3 exposures (-1,0,+1). Subtlety paid off, it may not even look much like a HDR shot, however the digital range is definitely larger compared to a single capture.

If enough people are interested, simply drop me a comment here and I will record a video how I processed this shot in Photomatix.

When you go on a photography trip to an exotic a destination as Antarctica is, you can be guaranteed to return with months if not years of post-processing in your bag
It’s been about 1.5 years that I set foot on the Antarctic mainland, and I still find some gems in my Lightroom Antarctica catalog.
This one was taken on the first day of entering the magic dreamworld that is the Antarctic peninsula.

Don’t forget, my Antarctica ebook is about to be released in the coming weeks. So be sure to check back frequently.

I really dig creative minds, and this collection of photos is exactly what I’m talking about.
The gallery is called “The life of nails” and it is exactly that.
Take a look at it, it is truly inspiring. I could have not imagined that emotions can be conveyed using something as simple as bent nails.

Check it out here. Well done Vlad Artazov.

Digital magazines seem to be the way of the future and Apple’s Ipad is the perfect device for it.
I believe it will be able to change the way we browse magazines long term.
Wired Magazine app for the Ipad has been a big success already and Adobe plans to make publishing digital magazines a lot easier. Find out more here.

Many photographers have played around with HDR, either in photoshop or with dedicated software products such as Photomatix.
I am a big fan of HDR – as long as they are naturally looking.
However it is very easy to go overboard with it and create an overprocessed image, that looks completely unnatural.
I myself always used Photomatix and although it was hard to control, I was able to create some nice looking images with it.

Bay of Fires – 3 exposure HDR

Making HDR more user friendly when it comes to the interface was always something I thought could be improved.
It looks like the wait could be over.
Enter HDR Expose. In the press I read:
“HDR Expose produces natural looking HDR images without halos and color shift artifacts that have become synonymous with the HDR Look”
It has caused quite some stir already and just looking at the video, I am thrilled:

The introductory price is $149, but there is a special til the end of July for $99. It also comes with a LR and Aperture plug-in.

I am very keen to try it out. You can download a fully functional 30-day free trial here