True High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is the future of photography. It presents an exciting new opportunity for professional and enthusiast photographers alike. It allows the display of images with much more dynamic range than possible with so-called Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) displays and conventional picture formats (for example, standard JPEG). On this page, I present sample HDR images and videos to, hopefully, demonstrate the impact that true HDR photography will have.
For more in-depth information, you may be interested in reading:
Comprehensive Guide to “New” or True HDR Photography
Real HDR photo samples
The image below shows the potential of HDR to bring out additional colour and brightness information that was contained in the RAW file (captured by a conventional camera) but ‘hidden’ by the limitations of the conventional JPEG file format. This was captured by the latest MacOS screen capture utility (which is now HDR compatible).
Visit my article Apple Introduces HDR Screenshot on macOS for more information.
For a comprehensive set of individual HDR images, visit my:
Sample Gallery of HDR Photographs
HDR video slideshow (for example on YouTube or Vimeo)
One way HDR images can be currently displayed or shared is by a (video) slideshow. Here is an example slideshow of my HDR photographs.
Photography subjects that look great with true HDR
I have created a presentation on the types of photography subjects that perfectly suit HDR treatment. This was produced in the latest version of Apple Keynote, which can now input HDR images.My article Apple Upgrades Keynote with HDR Image Capability provides more information.
In my experience of using HDR so far, HDR can be transformational in capturing and displaying certain scenes, which include:
- subjects that glisten (where specular highlights play a critical role in making them look realistic), such as water, ice and reflections from metal
- dimly-lit scenes with point sources of light (such as candles or individual lights to add dramatic effect)
- theatres and musical concerts, where lighting has been designed to be particularly impactful and vibrant for those watching with their own eyes
- scenes with intense individual or multiple colours in them (such as sunrises/sunsets and brightly coloured objects).
I believe HDR will be transformational in certain types of sports photography (including car and motorcycle racing), air show photography, landscape photography (where images have a wide dynamic range or display dramatic sunsets), night time photography and stage photography.
HDR could be problematic in some scenes
Just as in the real world, the intense display of specular highlights or certain subjects may not always be a good thing, for example, experiencing reflections from the car in front on a sunny day when you are trying to drive. In my experience of using HDR so far, the use of HDR can be problematic in certain scenes, which include:
- having a relatively large, very bright subject (such as the Sun) dominating a relatively dark scene. In the real world, people have sunglasses so photographers should avoid overdoing the ‘HDR effect’, for example, by reducing the intensity of large, bright images.
- scenes that do not have a wide dynamic range. Some scenes (with uniform lighting and no specular highlights) can be adequately captured and displayed using standard dynamic range. It seems silly to process such images to artificially create an artificial HDR effect.
- indoor scenes with large windows but where the indoors are lit with artificial (often relatively yellow) lighting. Processing can be problematic. Setting the white balance to optimise for the artificial lighting will make the light streaming in from the outside look very blue.
- scenes where bright light sources distract the viewer from the subject or photographer’s intent. Just as in the real world, a bright object or light pouring through a window are not always helpful to seeing a subject or scene. Used inappropriately, HDR has the potential of making visual distractions more distracting. It is, therefore, important to capture scenes that make the most of HDR capability.
Realistically, it will take many years for photographers to master HDR photography. Just as with the introduction of past technologies (such as stereo sound, surround sound and HDR video), content producers need to learn and experiment with different approaches to work out which ones works best.
The future for photography is bright, and colourful
I hope that this page has given an insight into how HDR can enhance photography. In recent years, there have been so many articles online about the death of photography, and particularly professional photography. Against this gloomy backdrop, HDR potentially provides an exciting opportunity for photographers and a means, at least to begin with, to ‘stand out from the crowd’.
For more articles on true HDR photography, please visit my blog.
Other pages you may be interested in:
La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona – a showcase of True HDR Photography
What is the Perfect True HDR Photography Workflow?
Guide to HDR Image Formats: JPEG with Gain Map, JPEG XL, AVIF and HEIC/HEIF