The HDR Manifesto

<a title="The HDR Manifesto, by daveward" href="<a href="http://ping.fm/L5x8l"><img">http://ping.fm/L5x8l"><img</a> src="<a href="http://ping.fm/iyPPM"">http://ping.fm/iyPPM"</a> width="500" height="375"></a> <b>----- The HDR Manifesto -----</b> High Dynamic Response (HDR) photography has become a widespread phenomenon lately. But two things have gotten lost in this hot new photo fad: the purpose of HDR, and the taste and restraint that come naturally to mature artists. The camera lens can never really equal the human eye. When we look at something directly in front of us, our eye adjusts depending on what we are looking at, allowing us to see details in the dark shadows as well as in the bright highlights. But cameras capture a static image, meaning details in the darkest or lightest areas have to be sacrificed. The intent of HDR processing is to reveal the details in darkness and bright spots which our eye will see in reality, but which the camera can not capture by traditional methods. Tasteful, restrained use of HDR gives photos depth, detail, and intensity. But now you seldom see a restrained use of HDR because it has become fashionable to apply intense, exaggerated HDR to photographs. The "coolness" of the exaggerated HDR effect is often serving to obscure lousy photography. You don't have to browse for long before you'll find photos with intense HDR that get a lot of praise, but which, without the HDR effect to make it look "awesome", would be a technically very poor image. Many viewers are willing to overlook things like poor composition and lack of imagination if there's an exaggerated HDR effect slathered thickly over it to tart it up, like far too much makeup on a fundamentally unattractive girl. Occasionally an exaggerated, intense HDR effect can be nice. In the case of this car photo I think it works. (And make no mistake -- the above photo is an exaggerated HDR effect, not restrained.) But in general, I intend to usually apply HDR only in tasteful, restrained moderation, with the original purpose of HDR in mind. Exaggerated HDR is the "Magic Eye" of the late-00's. It's the new pet rock, the new Macarena, the new Furby. And hopefully it will go away as quickly as they did, leaving the use of HDR safely in the hands of those with better artistic sense.