Photo: Trey Ratcliff | Milan Train Station at Midnight (HDR image)
Of all photographic disciplines, High Dynamic Range photography is among the most spectacular—not because of the subject or camera position, but because of the final result.
For anyone unfamiliar with HDR-based photography: it is about seeing a high-contrast subject and then reproducing it faithfully in a photograph. With the conventional method of taking a single exposure, that is often extremely difficult, if not impossible.
The problem is especially apparent in location photography, where highlights, midtones, and shadows compete to be rendered clearly. What your eye sees often becomes a pale imitation in the photograph, forcing you to sacrifice information in the shadows or highlights for the sake of the overall image.
This gap exists because the human eye is superior at perceiving color, detail, and brightness, while a camera sensor struggles with large differences in brightness. HDR is a multiple-exposure technique that overcomes a contrast range too great for the sensor to capture in a single shot.
Anyone can learn it, but using HDR tools correctly requires perseverance
High Dynamic Range photography bridges differences in brightness by combining multiple exposures.
HDR expert
Although most of us are familiar with the beauty of High Dynamic Range (HDR) techniques, Trey Ratcliff’s work is well worth a closer look.
The personable Texan is known as a master of HDR photography. Ratcliff’s images occupy a space between photography and art. Using a computer, he combines several photographs of a high-dynamic-range subject so that both bright and dark areas retain detail. The result is a surreal, almost kitschy eruption of color.
Happy to share his knowledge on his acclaimed photoblog, Stuck In Customs
Sharing Knowledge
Asked which software he uses for his edits, Ratcliff names Photomatix. “But Photoshop also helps me achieve the effects I want,” he says. The American is quick to add that anyone can learn the process, although using HDR tools correctly requires perseverance.
To help users get started, he readily shares his knowledge on his acclaimed photoblog, Stuck In Customs.
There he describes his techniques in detail, and the site offers an HDR photography tutorial that is as educational as it is interesting. Ratcliff says the appeal of a photoblog lies in the immediate, detailed comments he receives on his extraordinary creations.
“I find it interesting to hear what visitors do and do not like about my posts.” He receives plenty of feedback on what he calls his travel diary, which he started more than three years ago. “I initially created it for myself, but also for my mother, so she could see what I was doing and where I was. That eventually became my photoblog.
To be honest, I never expected it to become so successful. My blog attracts 350,000 unique visitors every month, and that makes me very happy. It does mean that I want to post at least one photo on every day of the year…”
More information about Trey Ratcliff and HDR: www.stuckincustoms.com.
Also see Trey Ratcliff’s book, A World in HDR
