Customer Reviews

Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)

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I have been trying to learn HDR for the past 6 months using mainly online tutorials. This is the first book I have purchased or read on the subject. Without going into too much scientific detail the author gives a great understanding on what HDR is all about.

He gives great background info on why HDR is needed, what causes noise in digital photos and a lot of information you might or might not want before he ever gets into the how-to-do part of HDR.

He also compares the different programs available for HDR processing and the strengths and weakness of each program.

Once he gets into the actual HDR part, he gives you pretty much all the information you might need to produce great HDR photos. He shows examples and explains how to get both 'realistic' and 'artistic' photos.
He also shows what kind of problems you might incur with different types of scenes and how to approach and correct the problems you might encounter. He also shows how to do HDR-type processing from single images(although he says it won't get you the same 'true' HDR results.

He covers many areas in which you can use HDR, including interior home photography, or, color gels, and a new technique he developed called 'flash merging', which is shooting multiple images using your flash and making an HDR photo from that. I personally think learning this new 'flash merging' technique is worth the price of the book alone.

There are also some samples from great HDR photographers (but those are mainly for inspiration on what can be done, and don't offer much in the way of how-to's).

If you are new to HDR and want to learn how its done, from analyzing scenes before your first image is ever captured in the camera, all the way through to final image, of if you have been doing it for a while and want to learn how to approach problem areas that are keeping your HDR photos from looking like the pros (like noise in your clouds and dark areas) then this book would be a great investment....and it's at a great price.

ByronT....Tulsa, Ok

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography presents an opportunity to capture pictures that look more like the real world. Even though this book is not perfect, the subject is important enough for serious photographers to take the time to read the book and experiment with the technique.

Because the range of light that the human eye can see is far greater than what cameras can photograph, it's not uncommon for photographs to show impenetrable shadows or burnt out highlights where the human eye saw detail. Photographers have had some success ameliorating the condition with things like levels and merging and masking in Photoshop. Now HDR promises to extend the light range a great deal further.

After an overview of HDR photography, the author discusses methods of capturing images for HDR processing. He next presents a discussion of two major tools of HDR photography, merging and tone mapping, and then describes the processing of an image in one of the HDR programs, Photomatix Pro. Next he describes the HDR programs available (including Photoshop's apparently second-rate facility) and compares the results of the different programs using several images. The book then discusses post processing of the HDR image, and provides additional tips on making the original capture. The author finishes up by describing special techniques like flash merging, panoramas and single image HDR processing. Sprinkled throughout the book are the portfolios of several HDR artists.

Because I found it difficult to grasp the processing techniques just from the written word, I downloaded trial versions of some of the available HDR programs, and I prepared a set of photographs with different exposure values to use whenever McCollough suggested a particular technique. Even though I felt that McCollough could have given more explicit instructions on the use of the various converters, I was able to create images that demonstrated a far greater range of light then any individual image I had captured, or then images that I was able to adjust in Photoshop.

Because our eyes have become accustomed to the limited range of standard photographs, many of the author's photographs appeared to be too vivid, although when I considered the sample HDR images I had created, I realized that they seemed to reflect the actual light values I had seen when taking the pictures. On the other hand McCollough has no objection to pushing the range of light beyond what the human eye can see to create surrealistic pictures for artistic impact.

I wish that, rather then providing a step-by-step explanation of processing of an image in Photomatix Pro, the author had provided an actual tutorial that the reader could follow on his or her own computer, using downloaded images that the author provided. I guess I really want a book called "the Complete Guide to Photomatix Pro". On the other hand I would also have liked to see full demonstrations of the other available software, similar to the demonstrations provided in "Mastering HDR Photography: Combining Technology and Artistry to Create High Dynamic Range Images" by Michael Freeman.

Because HDR works best where there is no subject movement, the techniques contained in this book are most likely to be applicable to landscape and still life photography. However, it appears there are also opportunities in single image HDR photography for moving subjects.

I am certain that as HDR matures we will be presented with many volumes that can show us how to use this technology, but for now at least, this an excellent place to start.

I've looked through and read four or five different titles relating to HDR photography and all of them (except this one) have some pretty serious gaps or flaws in their approach. This is a young book market, because the technology itself is pretty young / still evolving. I like the many inspiring examples (wonderfully reproduced) in this book, and I like the fact that all of the core tools one might choose for HDR imaging are presented.

However I feel this book sets you up to be a jack of all trades and a master of none when it comes to using HDR software. I would've preferred that the author choose the two most popular programs and really delve into them, to the tune of another 20 or 30 pages worth of instruction, showing step-by-step progressions. Still it is a valuable HDR reference and the only one I would recommend to my students, but there's room out there for something more.

Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) is an easy to read guide that makes HDR understandable and do-able. Unlike other books on HDR that left me thinking maybe I shoud'be gone for that rocket scientist degree after all, this one works for me. McCollough takes a relatively difficult aspect of digital photography and puts it on a level that makes me feel like I really can take perfect HDR photographs. I know I will want to refer to its informative and well done illustrations many times to fully utilize all the aspects and possibilities of this phenomenal and relatively new phase of photography. I highly recommend it!

HDR photography solves one problem with digital photography, the inability to record an extended tonal range that captures detail in the shadows while preserving it in the highlights. Most fussing with histograms, contrast, and post-processing is simply a compromise. The techniques explored in this book can truly extend the dynamic range of your photographs, and the author provides solid advice on how to apply this tricky process.

You'll find step by step instructions for capturing the dynamic range of any scene, using features found in virtually every digital camera. The photographs used as illustrations in this book are inspiring, too. I recommend this book highly.

Ferrell does a nice job covering the technical and then applying it to the practical. He does this with excellent examples of his own work and that of other fine HDR photographers. The book covers the basics and also the details with fine examples of the various techniques. It is obvious that McCollough is technically grounded however his is wise enough to keep the information accessible, understandable and usable. I recommend this book as it will make HDR photography understandable, usable and fun!

One thing is definitely true of HDR processing: There are lots of sliders, controls and options. Knowing which ones are useful and which to avoid is half the battle. And since HDR software uses terms like Highlight Smoothing and Micro Adjusting local contrast, the topic needed a little demystifying. That is what this book does.

As one reviewer here points out, this book does lean heavily toward Photomatix as the HDR processor of choice, but there is plenty here for users of FDR Tools and others. The real trick is finding one or two packages and learning which controls you need to get the images you want. The software makers themselves don't really tell you what each of these various adjustments actually does. McCollough could do more in this area, but he does a pretty good job.

I fault the book in one small detail. McCollough refers often to a technique in Photomatix called Highlights and Shadows --Adjust. It's a good technique for more realistic images and the author uses it to good effect. However he completely fails to mention how to find it, how to use it, what the controls are or anything else. He goes into tone mapping in great detail, but offers nothing on this. It isn't even in the idex. In fact, this important technique doesn't use an HDR image at all, but rather blends the exposures of a series of images directly into another standard DR image.

All in all, this is a great book to help you feel more comfortable with all the aspects of this interesting photo technique. You will still have to discover a lot on your owm. HDR works in mysterious ways. But this book is never obscure and is very readable. Highly recommended.

For a long time, I was quite oblivious to the possibilities of High Dynamic Range photography. It was just one of many new digital 'things' in the world of photography. But after seeing a series of HDR shots of French church interiours, I had to learn more about this fascinating technique.

Initially, I read a number of articles off of the web and studied discussions in different forums, but decided to get a book dedicated to the subject. I got this one, and I am very happy with it.

The text is well written and easily understood. It's neither too technical in nature, nor too simple. The author describes how an image is captured in your camera, how noise is brought about, what limitations there are to different types of camera, and what difference there are between different lighting situations. All in all, everything needed to judge when and how HDR imaging is helpful in any given situation. He goes on to tell about the image capturing process, conversion, and post-processing. He also tells about the use of some special techniques, like single photo HDR and merging of flash photos. The difference between a number of proprietary HDR software is also explained, letting the reader decide which he or she prefers.

All the way throughout, the author makes good use of beautiful photographs to illustrate his points, and show the effect of HDR processing. There are also examples of other HDR artits' work in the book. These images are not for teaching purposes, but rather serves as inspiration for the reader, showing the possibilities and uses of HDR photography.

The advice given in this volume, is fairly straightforward and easy to follow. You'll be out there making your own HDR images soon after reading. I initially thought HDR images a bit too well exposed, a bit too natural, a bit too 'good', if you know what I mean. They seemed unnaturally good. Now I see that they are in fact capable of rendering a much more realistic depiction of reality than normal photography. HDR is a great tool for any photographer to have in his technical arsenal, simply for tricky exposure situations or for out and out art photography. It is much simpler (and much more available) than difficult lighting rigs and multiple flash units going off at once.

I was indeed very pleased with this book, and will definitely recommend it to others.

I have been looking for a book that gets right to the heart of HDR photography. I have read several books on the subject or what was to have been on the subject only to find out there was very little actual HDR instructions in these books. I decided to try one more when I bought this book, and I wish I would have bought it first. This book in very informative on all aspects of HDR photography and is not an introduction to photography like some of the others I read. If your interested at all in this type of photography and you want full and complete instructions, this is the book to buy. Excellent study book, and the photos inside are really beautiful. This book has ignited a very very deep interest in me to get out and start using the techniques explained. Get this Book

This is an excellent read. This is the third book on HDR that I've read. They have all improved my results. This book is a continued use book, it has info that you can refer to as you game plan for the photo your about to develop. Really filled in some gaps in my knowledge. Gives excellent examples for a number of different HDR software and on what types of images they each excel.

I am a photomatix user, after reading this book I am using more of the tools the software provides. I am now trying some of the other HDR software. I see where they can fit into my workflow.