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HDR

Sunrise at the Concord Point Lighthouse

HDR Photography Basics

High Dynamic Range photography is ideal for use in situations where you have a broad range of lighting conditions, and a static or mostly static scene. An example would be an indoor shot where you want to also show the outside scenery through a window. Or maybe a landscape photograph taken in the golden hour where you want the shadows to be less prominent. It has many uses, and is also used artistically to create very colorful pictures that, although not realistic looking, are beautiful nonetheless.

HDR image of the Concord Point Lighthouse on a stormy morning

What is HDR Photography?

The simple answer is that HDR is an acronym for high dynamic range. The eye can see a much broader range of light and shadows than the current technology for digital cameras allows in a single, standard photograph.

Many newer digital cameras can process an HDR photograph using multiple exposures and merging them together. There are also a number of software options available for merging images taken across a range of exposure settings.