Digital Photography Info

Photographer’s tips: How to easily create HDR images from one RAW file

Rafal — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:02:56 +0000

How to easily create HDR images from one RAW file

There are plenty of tutorials on how to create HDR images from pictures taken in exposure bracketing mode or a HDR-looking picture from one TIFF or JPEG image in Photoshop. What if you do not want to spend too much time on modifying an image in Photoshop? What to do if you do not have a tripod with you to take ‘bracketed’ pictures or you want to photograph a dynamic scene which would create too many ‘ghosts’? I have got a tip for you on how to create a HDR image easily and quickly.

Step one: Shot a RAW image file

I assume that your camera is able to save pictures in a RAW format. Each camera manufacturer has its own format and file extension (NEF, CRW, CR2, RAW, 3FR, ARW etc.) but all of them have one thing in common: they support files containing an unprocessed image saved exactly in the way how the sensor ‘sees’ it. So if your camera supports RAW just select a proper option and take shots as usual (consult your camera’s manual to learn how to do it).

Step two: ‘Develop’ the RAW image file

In order to create a HDR image several exposures of the same scene are required. You can create them developing a single RAW image file changing exposure settings in your RAW image processing software. Firstly, make sure that the white balance setting is correct and you might also want to apply some camera or lens specific settings like lens vignetting correction, picture profile, dust removal etc. However make sure that your presets or default options do not change parameters like contrast, brightness, fill light, blacks and recovery. Secondly, setup exposure level to ‘0’ and save the first image as JPEG or TIFF adding for example ‘_EV+0’ to the filename.

TIFF is recommended for images which are going to be processed later, since it introduces no compression artifacts.

Finally, save ‘bracketed’ images changing the exposure settings and adding corresponding strings to their filenames e.g. ‘_EV+2’, ‘_EV-2’ etc. The number of files and exposure steps depend on type of the scene. For medium dynamic range scenes (landscapes and outdoor photography) you might need three exposures taken in two-EV steps, or five exposures taken in one-EV steps. For high dynamic range scenes (e.g. subject in a room with a view outside the window on a sunny day) you need to have at least five exposures taken in two-EV steps. In this case you need to develop your RAW image within +/-4EV range from the original exposure.

Watch the movie below to see how to do this step using Adobe Lightroom 3:

Step three: merge the images and produce the HDR image

The final step depends on the HDR software you use, so refer to its documentation to learn how to create a HDR image from ‘bracketed’ image files that you created in the previous step. As an example I have merged the images using free Picturenaut and trial version of Photomatix Pro.

Here are the results:

HDR image created by Photomatix

HDR image created by Picturenaut

To HDR or not to HDR?

Am I excited about HDR photography? Not really, but photography is an art and as long as you like it (and have enough time) feel free to do it and do not care about what others say. The main purpose of this article is to give you some tips on how to create a HDR image easily in a certain situation but not to discuss pros and cons of HDR photography. As far as I am concerned, I prefer to use Highlight Tone Priority with my Canon camera or a gradual ND filter to darken the sky. Sometimes it is possible to reduce contrast of the scene changing the location or angle. The picture below shows pretty much the same scene as the HDR image above, but it was taken from a shorter distance with a gradual ND filter and a polarizer. It hasn’t been post-processed.

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New mountain landscape pictures: Aletsch-Jungfrau area picture gallery published

Rafal — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:35 +0000

The Aletsch-Jungfrau area picture gallery

I have published a new landscape picture gallery where you can see several pictures taken this month in Switzerland in the Aletsch-Jungfrau area, which is the most glaciated region of the Alps. Unfortunately global warming impacted this beautiful place heavily and the largest and longest glacier of the Alps is retreating very fast. The melting glacier makes mountaineering more difficult and dangerous what directly impacted our plans for this trip.

Firstly, the Aletsch glacier because of its size and rapid melting is a real maze and it is very difficult to find the way on unfrequented routes. This is because there are plenty of crevasses cutting the glacier in each direction which are too wide to leap across them (the bumps visible on the pictures taken over 300 ft above the glacier are in fact huge impassable ice blocks). I had with me the most recent edition of the Aletsch area topographic map issued in 2005 but the glacier range and routes marked on them have changed significantly.

Secondly, rapidly melting glaciers evaporate heavily in summer making the weather unstable and unpredictable. Even though the weather forecast is for sunny sky, there might be a local storm or clouds limiting visibility to a few feet what you can see on one of the pictures. When I reached the summit a big cloud covered everything around and then it started snowing , however there was beautiful weather 9,000 ft below.

Consequently during the whole trip to Switzerland this year I managed to conquer two summits 13,474 ft (4,107 m) and 13,864 ft (4,226 m) wandering around on the retreating glacier and taking pictures. I hope you will like them.

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Photographer’s tips- don’t lose your camera in high mountains on a difficult location

Rafal — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:26:06 +0000

A friend of mine has recently dropped his Nikon DSLR while climbing the Mont Blanc. The camera fell down over 300 ft and broke down completely. That accident inspired me to make a short movie showing how to handle your camera on a difficult location in high mountains while taking landscape pictures. I strongly recommend:

Securing your backpack by an ice ax;
Attaching a spare carabiner to your harness;
Binding your camera strap to your harness by the carabiner before taking your camera out.

This way, if you drop your camera accidentally you will not lose your gear and your landscape pictures stored on a memory card.

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Photographer’s tips – Extreme Digital Photography movie will show you why using second hand cameras on your photo trip is a good idea

Rafal — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:45:21 +0000

Photographer’s tips shared in my fist Extreme Digital Photography movie.

Watch me prepare for my recent high mountain photo expedition in Switzerland… and watch me sweat…. as this is my first movie

In this episode of Extreme Digital Photography I am sharing some photographer’s tips on how to prepare your photo equipment for high mountain landscape photography.

I will give you some proven tips on what to take with you on your high mountain expedition and what to leave in the base camp, how to prepare your photo equipment before the climb and how to take pictures on location in high mountains.

I will also show you how to protect your photo gear while taking pictures in difficult weather and location conditions.

Extreme Digital Photography is where you may want to consider using second hand cameras to minimize the loss if you drop your camera

Your photo equipment essentials:

DSLR body Canon 40D
Wide-angle zoom Sigma 17-70 f/2.8
Canon 70-200 f/4L IS USM
Circular polarizer
Small camera bag
Memory cards Sandisk Extreme IV
GPS
Microfiber cloth
spare battery.

See my first time here

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New landscape picture gallery: Corsica

Rafal — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:00:58 +0000

Landscape picture gallery

My previous picture gallery that I published on my blog was dominated by ice and snow, even if the pictures were taken in the summer. Since most of the people do not associate the summer vacation with such views, I would like to show you some pictures which are completely different than those published last week.

I have published my new landscape picture gallery containing shots taken during my trip to Corsica, France. Corsica has got two nicknames which tell a lot about this place: ‘mountain in the sea’ and ‘island of beauty’ (French: Île de beauté). You can find in the gallery some pictures taken on the coast as well as landscapes taken on the legendary GR20 footpath (one of the most difficult and spectacular walks in Europe), which is over 112 miles long (180km) with the culminating point at 8,878 ft (2,706m). Whole hike takes 15 days, so I had enough time for taking pictures.

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Photographer’s tips on how to prepare your photo equipment for a high mountain landscape photography – part 2

Rafal — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:14:33 +0000

Preparation for a high mountain landscape photography session

At home

Before you leave check your photo gear carefully:

Fully charge your batteries
Clean the lenses you’re taking with you
Inspect the sensor for any smudge of dirt and clean the sensor if necessary. I’ll give you a tip how to do it quickly: Setup the smallest possible aperture (e.g. f/32), switch the lens to manual focus and set it up for minimal distance, and then point at blue sky and press the shutter button. Then you can easily check for any dark stains on the picture. Blue color, small aperture and bringing the image out of focus will emphasize even smallest stains.

In the base camp

This might be the last warm place before you go climbing for hours. Remember that it might be difficult to navigate through the camera’s menu wearing warm glows or mitts. Bearing that in mind try to preset the camera, setup the most likely settings or program your custom settings on the mode dial to change them quickly on location. Remove all bracketing settings if you are not going to use them, setup desired ISO, metering and autofocus mode etc. And the last but not the least: keep your spare battery close to your body but in a dry place. I do not recommend keeping it in a pocket of a GoreTex jacket except for a ‘dry pocket’, if your jacket has any. In certain conditions humidity may condensate on the internal parts of the jacket and discharge or damage the battery.

Taking pictures

If you carry your gear on your shoulder or your chest, which is possible during relatively safe and easy parts of the climb, you can just take your camera out to take a shot. However, I strongly recommend binding the camera strap and the bag with a carabiner. Without that, if you drop your camera accidentally you will lose everything, including your pictures stored on a memory card.

If you have to carry your gear in your backpack, before taking a shot you need to take the backpack off and take your camera out. Doing so make sure that the backpack is attached to a rope, a camalot, or an ice ax with a carabiner or a quick draw. You don’t want to loose all your stuff, do you? When the backpack is secured you can take the camera out and take a picture. However, I strongly recommend that you attach the camera belt to your harness immediately and perform all operations like detaching lens cap over your opened backpack.

Taking into account unfavorable conditions in high mountains try to change your lens only if it is necessary. If you have to do so, do it over your backpack pointing the lens to the ground to protect the shutter and the sensor from dust and ice carried by wind.

And last but not least: I know that you took great pictures and want to see them or show them to others immediately after you arrive at a shelter. Be patient. Do not take your camera out for a few hours in order to avoid humidity condensation on your gear. Remember, it is very cold and you have brought it to a warm, humid place.

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Photographer’s tips on how to prepare your photo equipment for a high mountain landscape photography – part 1

Rafal — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:51:28 +0000

Extreme Digital Photography

Last week I published my first landscape picture gallery containing shots taken in the Swiss Alps, some of them over 15.000 ft (4572 m). At this altitude air temperature even in the Summer falls significantly below 0°F (-18°C) and wind speed exceeds 62mph (100 km/h). Taking pictures is such extreme conditions requires some preparation before the trip and special gear treatment on the location. I’m not taking about quick shots taken by a small point-and-shot camera that most climbers bring and use on the summit to capture their achievement, but real landscape and climbing pictures taken during the climbing expedition with your DSLR.

Photography gear preparation

While preparing your photography gear for high mountain photography you need to take into consideration not only the extreme conditions I have mentioned earlier, but also the fact that you will be caring it on your back for many long hours and climbing uphill. I assume that you’re fit enough to do so, but believe me: every ounce counts.

What photography equipment to take to the top

This is what I usually take with me for a high mountain photo expedition when I want to take quality landscape or climbing photos:

DSLR body. I use Canon 40D for high mountain climbing as it offers a good balance between weight and quality. I was using it for a while in the Winter, when temperature dropped below -22°F (-30°C), and it not only survived but also took some nice shots. Lighter bodies quite often lack important features, are more fragile and difficult to operate in winter mitts.
Wide-angle zoom lens is a must. I usually take Sigma 17-70 f/2.8 which is good enough and used in extreme conditions passed the test. Of course you can take any wide-angle lens you have, but chose a zoom lens instead of an FFL. Remember that in high mountains you cannot assume a position everywhere you wish, so it’s better to change the focal length rather than make a step into a precipice;-).
Telephoto zoom in case you want to shot something from a longer distance. It’s not mandatory and I leave it sometimes in a base camp to reduce weight of my backpack. If I decide to take a telephoto zoom, I get Canon 70-200 f/4L IS USM. I have chosen this one because comparable Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM is two times heavier.
Circular polarizer. In my opinion the only filter which cannot be substituted in post-production (or I do not know Photoshop enough). It reduces reflections from snow, ice and wet rocks, it can darken the sky and it saturates the image more by eliminating unwanted reflections. I use B+W filters which I recommend.
Small camera bag which can be put into your backpack. Usually a photo backpack is not enough to pack all the climbing equipment, so I take a bigger backpack to carry all the stuff. As camera bag is concerned I use Lowepro Toploader AW 70 which is small enough to pack it into my backpack when I cannot keep it on my shoulder for safety reasons or when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. However, it is big enough to put my DSLR in it, even with the telephoto lens attached. It has also another very important feature: it can be carried on the chest.
Memory cards. I use Sandisk Extreme IV because they work perfectly in extremely low temperatures. However, I always have two cards at least with me in case one of them breaks down. It’s never happened, but…
GPS. I always use Garmin Colorado GPS for navigation purposes, but since I already have it with me I record the track for geotagging my pictures.
Microfiber cloth. A very useful addition, as lenses tend to often cover with snow or dust.
Spare battery is a must.

What you might consider taking with you

Each climbing expedition is different. Depending on the conditions you may want to consider taking some additional filters and a tripod.

Tripod. Sometimes I take with me Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber tripod, which is the most lightweight tripod capable to handle my gear. However, it must be a high mountain stroll rather than a climbing expedition that I take it with me. Over 3 lbs (with the head) is a lot when every ounce counts.
Graduated ND filter. Provided that it is possible to attach and operate it because I don’t have to wear winter mitts, I find it quite useful for reducing brightness differences between the sky and rocks for example. However, I take additional filters occasionally because it is very rare that the conditions on location allow me to use them.

What to leave at home or in the base camp

Speedlight. It’s too heavy and I can hardly imagine where it might be used in high mountains. Take advantage of the amazing available light in the mountains.
Diffusers, reflectors, backdrops etc. This doesn’t require any comment:)
Battery charger. Power outlets are not very common in high mountains (except from some shelters, if there are any). It’s better to take a spare battery.
All your lens collection. Just take one or two zoom lenses that cover all focal lengths you might need instead of caring additional pounds of glass.

TBC

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My landscape pictures gallery published

Rafal — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:31:29 +0000

Landscape picture gallery

I published some articles on this blog concerning photography gear, techniques and tips etc. but photography is not all about only this technical stuff. It’s about pictures and emotions they elicit. That’s why I have decided to create a picture gallery where I am going to publish my own shots, share them with my blog readers and sometimes spark a discussion:).

I do mountaineering and often get to see breathtaking views that I want to capture and share with others. Because of that landscape photography is my favorite one, which I do every time I have an opportunity. The first set of pictures, that I have just published, was taken last year during my trip to Switzerland when I was climbing the Monta Rosa Massif. The next one I am going to publish shortly, so If you like my shots please bookmark my blog and come back soon.

You can go to the gallery either by selecting it from the main menu or by clicking on the picture on the right. Enjoy!

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Photographers tips – using photographic reflectors & diffusers

Rafal — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:24:01 +0000

In my previous post about photographic reflectors I wrote about lighting scenarios focusing on outdoor photography. However, reflectors and diffusers are essential elements of studio light kits.

An example of such equipment may be TriFlector MkII by Lastolite, which is widely used for portraits, fashion and makeovers shots. This is a photographic reflector which consists of three individually adjustable reflecting panels to get light exactly where it is needed. One picture is worth a hundred words, so watch the video and check out what outcome you can achieve using this set.

Photographic reflectors allow a photographer to manipulate light in order to achieve a desired outcome at the same time overcoming natural constrains and limitations. If you liked the movie about the Triflector and would like to learn more about photographic reflectors from Mark Cleghorn check out the other one.

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Yet another reason for buying second hand cameras or lenses.

Rafal — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:50:12 +0000

In my previous posts I wrote about reasons for buying second hand cameras or lenses and how to do it safely. Today I am going to answer the question ‘Can a second hand gear be better than a new one?’

Usually purchasing second hand cameras or any other second hand photo gear is cost efficient and this is the main reason for doing it. However I am going to give you an example of a lens, which is significantly better used than new. I mean quite popular Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 which has been present on the market for years, but Canon decided to change its construction releasing the Mk II version.

Optically Mk I and Mk II are identical, but the newer version has a plastic mount rather than metal, lacks a distance scale window and has an inconvenient manual focus ring at the end of the barrel. Canon probably introduced these changes to make a clear distinction between EF 50 f/1.8 II and EF 50 f/1.4 which is significantly better but more expensive. The result is that EF 50 1.8 Mk I holds its value on the second hand market, selling for more than a new EF 50 f/1.8 II

Canon EF 50 f/1.8 Image via Wikipedia

Canon EF 50 f/1.8 II Image via Wikipedia

This example proves that ‘new’ does not always mean ‘better’ and that it’s worth considering buying second hand cameras and lenses. If you have another example like this, please feel free to leave a comment:).

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