A World in HDR 1st Edition

by Trey Ratcliff (Author)

92 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0321679949

ISBN-10: 0321679946

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High dynamic range (HDR) photography lets you capture the myriad colors and levels of light that you can see in the real world, and the results are amazing photographs that run the gamut from super real to surreal. Explore this fantastic realm of photography through the unique vision of renowned travel photographer Trey Ratcliff. In this book, Trey shares his phenomenal HDR photographs as well as all the backstory on the adventurous circumstances of their origin. He also reveals the techniques he used to get the final shot. The breathtaking images gracing these pages and the authors real-world advice for capturing and manipulating images will inspire you to create your own HDR magic. So Trey also includes his simple and straightforward tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know to make your own HDR photographs, whether youre a beginner, amateur, or professional. A unique blend of practical and inspirational, this book features

a breathtaking collection of HDR photographs
engaging explanations of how the author achieved the image
expert tips for achieving stunning results (and avoiding common mistakes)
a foolproof HDR tutorial and software recommendations

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

High dynamic range (HDR) photography lets you capture the myriad colors and levels of light that you can see in the real world, and the results are amazing photographs that run the gamut from super real to surreal. Explore this fantastic realm of photography through the unique vision of renowned travel photographer Trey Ratcliff. In this book, Trey shares his phenomenal HDR photographs as well as all the backstory on the adventurous circumstances of their origin. He also reveals the techniques he used to get the final shot. The breathtaking images gracing these pages and the author's real-world advice for capturing and manipulating images will inspire you to create your own HDR magic. So Trey also includes his simple and straightforward tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know to make your own HDR photographs, whether you're a beginner, amateur, or professional. A unique blend of practical and inspirational, this book features

a breathtaking collection of HDR photographs
engaging explanations of how the author achieved the image
expert tips for achieving stunning results (and avoiding common mistakes)
a foolproof HDR tutorial and software recommendations

About the Author

Trey Ratcliff is best known for his website, StuckInCustoms.com, which is the #1 travel photography blog in the world. His photography has been featured in numerous shows around the world, as well as on ABC, NBC, FOX, and the BBC. In addition, one of his HDR photographs was the first of its kind to hang in the Smithsonian. Having grown up blind in one eye, Trey has a unique way of navigating and capturing the world around him. That vision, combined with an educational background in computer science and mathematics, leads him in an algorithm-like approach to photography that can evoke palpable memories.

Product details

Publisher : New Riders Pub; 1st edition (December 9, 2009)
Language : English
Paperback : 210 pages
ISBN-10 : 0321679946
ISBN-13 : 978-0321679949
Item Weight : 1.52 pounds
Dimensions : 8.75 x 0.5 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,783,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,062 in Photography (Books)
- #2,788 in Digital Photography (Books)
- #6,300 in Individual Photographers

Customer Reviews:
92 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		51%
4 star		8%
3 star		14%
2 star		13%
1 star		14%

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F. Knoph

Some hits, some misses

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2010

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In my opinion, there are both good and bad things to say about this book, as well as about the author. I'll start with what I do like.

Trey is excellent at taking a collection of photos with different exposures and merge them into one HDR image. He achieves an arty fantasy look in the images which is very impressive. In my eyes, this is where his great talent is.

What I don't like are the photos themselves. If it had not been for the look created by the HDR process, most of his images would be boring, and nothing more than snapshots. I believe that the same amount of thought about composition should be applied to an HDR image as to a normal one. This is where Trey looses one star.

The other star is lost in his descriptions about the pictures. He gets overly arty and philosophical, and uses words you'll need a dictionary to understand. These paragraphs gave me nothing, and I believe the book would have been better without.

At the end, there is a good tutorial about how to go about making your own HDR images, but this is also available at Trey's blog.

As a summary, this books contains a large collection of images showing what most photographers can achieve if they practice their computer skills, and this inspiration is the best reason to buy the book.

11 people found this helpful

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David Medina

A journey into HDR... A Must have for HDR enthusiast!

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2009

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I have been a follower of Trey Ratcliff work on [...] for a while now and when I heard that he was publishing an HDR book I knew had to have it. "A World in HDR" is much more that another book on HDR, it is a visual journey into the heart and mind of an HDR artist. The book has beautiful images that will inspire and challenge the reader into picking up his/her camera, get out there and take pictures, then come back into your computer to continue the journey.

By looking at his images and reading his comments you can tell that HDR is just a means to an end. It is a tool to celebrate life and our world. It is his means to connect with creation and to share beauty.

His tutorials and techniques are easy to understand and follow. They are not lost in technical jargon, but practical. Not a formula book, but one intended to help us understand the HDR process and motivate us to experiment.

A combination of Fine Art Book and practical how to, "A World in HDR" is a must have for every HDR enthusiast, from beginner to advanced!

One person found this helpful

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Paul G.

HDR for the non technical

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2010

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I have played around with a couple attempts at HDR but want to get into it a lot deeper and this book is so far the best I've found on the subject. Trey's insight and thoughts that go along with the stunning photos are a welcome departure from the more technical details I found in other HDR books. While I haven't gotten far enough into the tutuoril chapter the brief review I've done seems to break the process down into simple steps using the HDR software and Photoshop. There is also a chapter that describes other software tools that will improve the HDR process and allow the photographer to obtain the look and feel they are going after. The photos in the book are inspiring and make one want to go out and look for opportunities to capture the world in HDR.

One person found this helpful

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Well worth waiting for, a book by a master of HDR

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2010

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I've been using HDR techniques for more than a year, but when I look at the images of really talented photographers who have mastered this process I realize that I still have a lot to learn. That's why I was delighted to learn that two books by two masters were recently released. Practical HDR by David Nightingale (ISBN: 9780240812496) is the other, and has its own review. They are related books with different strengths and weaknesses. I encourage you to look at both reviews (by myself and others) if you have to choose only one. However, both get 5-Stars and if you can buy both your resulting prints will be better for it.

The author, Trey Ratcliff, is also the force behind a very popular HDR oriented blog, stuckincustoms. Anyone interested in (or addicted to) this technique would enjoy following it. In addition, there are several free tutorials on that site.

The opening page has the title, "What is HDR". It contains two images. One is a single, properly exposed image that most photographers would probably delete and the other is an HDR version that is spectacular. A quote from that page sums it all up, "HDR is an evolving art that enables the photographer to capture and display the full range of light that can be realized by the human eye." The rest of the first chapter includes some stunning photographs and some explanation of what HDR does. Here's a simplified summary: a human eye can see details in shadows and at the same time see details in bright areas. A camera can't. However, that same camera can be told to take three images, but to pay attention to the bright spots in one image, the mid ranges in another and the shadows in the third. After that, software can merge these images (taking the best details from each) and create a picture that resembles what the eye can see.

The book is broken into sections and chapters that take readers through introductory materials and then into more advanced concepts. The last third is devoted to tutorials with more text and fewer finished images.

Most of the pages in the first two thirds of the book have a great image on the right and a description on the left. The description always adds some detail about what was done to make it better. Not a full blown tutorial, but a clear insight instead. For example, a page with a picture that has a lot of grass in the foreground has a comment that tells us that bright sun reflects off of grass and often gives it a garish look, especially after tonemapping. Trey's advice is to go into Photoshop and adjust the Hue/Saturation slider to remove some yellow. (As a mid-level PS user, I would have instinctively worked on the green.) As sections progress, more and more details are uncovered. Much of what Trey has to say is about how the eye and brain process images. He tells of visual experiments where the experimenter projects two colors on a screen and asks the audience to pick the white one, then projects a third image that makes it clear that the first two were merely different shades of grey. Trey then uses this to explain how the mind processes pictures and how to use that information to make images more pleasing to the viewer.

The last part is where this book stands apart from the others on this topic. Trey gives us several tutorials covering the usual how to use the software, and then moving on to more advanced techniques such as creating an HDR from a single image or double processing an HDR image. He shows us how to make the impossible happen, such as a multiple shot HDR that includes moving objects like a Times Square ticker or a bus.

One more thing, though it is not directly related to the book. Trey started a site called "hdrspotting". On it you'll find great examples of HDR images from a variety of photographers. Participation is by invitation, so you're only seeing the best work from the best in the field. I recommend bookmarking it and visiting regularly.

This book comes with my highest recommendations. If I could give more that 5 stars, I would. It is printed on quality paper and is a pleasure to look through whether you are a photographer or not.

NOTE: I am an Amazon Vine reviewer, but this is not a Vine book.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2010

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This is one of the most beautiful and wonderful books I have ever bought. If you are looking for a book on HDR Photography this is a must. It is written in easy flowing and highly readable language, with each page a joy to read. The author takes one through a plethora of fantastic HDR Images, which are a delight to the eye as each one is a beauty to behold. It is amazing at how easy the author makes the whole process of HDR Photography appear. I was also astounded at the authors Web Site, which I had no idea existed prior to purchasing the book. Not only does the book give me immense pleasure; but I am also compelled keep visiting the web site again and again. If you should ever buy a book on HDR Photography, I recommend you purchase this one.

Phil UK

Different but in a good way

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2010

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Initially I was unsure about this book not least because I find Trey Ratcliff's approach to HDR a bit heavy handed. But on reading it, it really is rather good. The style of the images does grow on you and there is no debating that he has his own very individual style. Also a lot of his philosophical ramblings are quite insightful and can make you think about things in a rather different light, if you'll excuse the pun.

All in all a book that is worth reading and some of the pictures, once you've realigned your preconceptions, are amazing too.

One person found this helpful

bknewhaven

A new look at photography

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2010

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Although I have been taking photos for most of my life, I had not come across HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography before. Like many people I was often disappointed that my photos didn't look like the scene as I remembered it, now I have a way to achieve what I saw. I have never been impressed when this technique when is applied too strongly, but used to enhance your images to show what your eyes could see is amazing. The small tutorial tells you all you need to know to achieve this, plus Trey reviews a series of software that you will need to create HRD images. A most helpful book if you want to find out what HDR is all about.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Inspirational!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2010

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Presents HDR very clearly and truly inspires with a bookful of magnificent images presented wonderfully. Fires the imagination through using the HDR technique in many different situations from gorgeous landscapes to capturing the glorious spirit of the inside of cathedrals or the Taj Mahal - spiritual or not you cant but be awestruck by what Trey captures in his images. And the big thrill is that by following his step-by-step instructions we can do it too! You can see his images for yourselves online at his stuckincustoms blog. Check it out then try to stop yourselves from buying this book.

5 people found this helpful

Peter von F.

Tolle Bilder, bisschen wenig Beschreibung

Reviewed in Germany on February 20, 2010

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Buch ist wirklich zu empfehlen, wenn man Fan von HDR Bildern ist.

Allerdings sind die Beschreibungen oft nicht so ausführlich wie gewünscht, Großteil auf der Homepage lesbar - aber ist so (zumindest für mich) schöner zu lesen...

One person found this helpful

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A World in HDR 1st Edition

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