Still Raining but HDR Experiments Begin

Well folks as you can see above it’s still raining. Hopefully this is the last day of this foolishness and we can start to dry out a little tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even get out and take a few pictures! I have three cameras with partial rolls of film I want to finish before I forget what’s on them.

I started playing around with the HDR settings on the K-01 after finally finding some information on the internet that may actually explain what they are and how they work. I really appreciate that the camera came with a “real” manual with nearly 300 pages but it unfortunately leaves much to be desired when it comes to explaining the in-camera HDR features.

The shot above was taken on HDR3 and shows the exaggerated contrast & coloring possible. The shot below was taken on HDR Auto and shows a more “normal” view but still accentuating the details available in the “gray areas.”

This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive review of the HDR features but I think I have at least figured out how it is supposed to work (no thanks to the manual) and I will attempt to provide that information here to help others who may be similarly confused.

For those who are new to HDR, it stands for “High Dynamic Range” and generally the way it works is that the photographer takes three (or more) bracketed shots and then combines them in post processing to help bring out the full dynamic range of visual possibilities in a composition. This is especially helpful in high contrast compositions such as nighttime photos or back lighting where a single shot would miss much of what is there. By essentially doing a multiple exposure composition adding in slightly over exposed and slightly underexposed shots the full dynamic range can be more closely approximated in the picture.

On the Pentax K-01 (and I suspect it is similar on the K-30 and possibly other Pentax cameras as well) there are four HDR settings; HDR Auto, HDR1, HDR2, & HDR3. “HDR Auto,” I assume allows the camera’s onboard computer to decide what should be done and to what extent although the possibility of adjusting the EV from +/-1 to +/-3 is available with a simple “bump” of the big silver adjustment wheel in all four of the HDR modes.

 “HDR1, HDR2, & HDR3” appear to provide increasing degrees of contrast and color exaggeration with HDR1 being the least and HDR3 approaching the “comic book” like views HDR has become known for among the more creative photography crowd.

Some of the more creative uses for HDR include shifting the camera slightly between the bracketed shots to achieve special effects. Since the in-camera HDR feature in Pentax cameras fires off the multiple shots as quick as the camera allows (which is quite fast) the “creative shifting” aspect of HDR photography is not really practical and is best done by taking the bracketed shots “manually” and merging them in post processing.

In general, it is essential to keep the camera and subject still for all of the HDR shots if your desire is to render the composition clearly and with maximum dynamic range. Although the shake reduction feature of the K-01 will allow for successful hand held HDR shots in some instances, it is always best to use a tripod to assure the best results.

These two shot are just the beginning. I will likely “play” with the more intense HDR effects from time to time but my real interest is in learning to use it to get better and more dramatic nighttime shots which as always, I will share with you here.