(Left) Surreal HDR toning (Right) Custom HDR toning

In a recent conversation with a fellow photographer, we were discussing the over-use of HDR or high dynamic range photography. His description of HDR is “cartoonish” and in most instances I would agree. HDR toning can be applied in a variety of ways. but the basic application is essentially taking 2-3 exposures or brackets of a composition and merging them into a photograph that has more detail in all tonal ranges. This concept is not new to photography. Photographers can employ a variety of techniques to reduce the highlight-shadow ratio that include several types of fill-light applications.

-1 Exposure with Curves adjustment

HDR toning

The point of HDR is to improve the dynamic range of high contrast subjects. In traditional B7W film

photography one would “expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights.” This meant that the are of crucial concern was our shadow detail areas. We did not want to lose the detail there, but our development times and temperatures were crucial to preserve the details and tonal ranges in the highlight areas.

In digital photography, the development step is no longer an option. Digital media does not preserve highlight detail very well over several zones. It drops off very quickly and get blown out. Once the detail is gone, you cannot bring it back in Photoshop no matter how hard you try. It cannot be recreated but it can be merged into the highlight area from another image with a different exposure that preserves the highlight detail.

The one caveat to HDR before you run out and get the latest and great mapping software is that well exposed photo with a bit of adjustment using Curves, can come very close to HDR without the ghosting, glowing and surreal over-done images.

So, is HDR being over done? Like most gimmicks it can be pushed to the limit. I still hate images that are skewed sideways, but my general philosophy is if the image is not well composed to start, then all the filters, adjustments, crops or tricks in the world will not make it better.

Mid-tone exposure with Curves adjustment

HDR toning

As I prepare for the Creative Photography Class at the Coastal Georgia Center this evening I am excited to inspire a whole new group of students. I want to show them everything but have to filter it so that they are not overwhelmed by the information.

One of the activities we will cover on our field trips is shutter speed and motion. Today is a perfect lesson as I shoot wildlife. Because wildlife is fast-moving, we need fast shutter speeds. Today I am shooting at 1/1000 of a second and higher. In order to achieve these, I have set my ISO to a higher number than normal for me. Typically I don’t shoot at ISO 800 on a really bright day because I have plenty of light. High ISOs are reserved for those instances when I am shooting in low-light conditions. But when I need more aperture/shutter combinations, I tweak my ISO. This is just one of those times. It allows me to shoot at a higher shutter speed and a mid-range f-stop so I can freeze the action and get decent depth-of-field.

The differences here are not as dramatic because I cannot post a TIFF  or RAW file. The best I can do is post a PNG which is a lossless file type. The JPG file type is a lossy file type because it is compressed. Much like a trash compactor compressed trash into a smaller space, a JPG algorithm compacts the file into a smaller space on your storage card, hard drive or other memory device. What is lost is color richness, sharpness and definition of details- especially over time. Opening and saving the file over and over again more and more information is lost as the algorithm runs again and again.

Can you tell which is the JPG and which is the PNG?

Just a stones throw from the intersection of I-95 and GA Highway 204, it is a histoic canal area where barges where literally pulled from the Ogeechee River through the canal system to the Savannah River. It is also one of several historic sites where Sherman, on his historic march to the sea fought the Confederates.

The canal is rich with flora, fauna, and mosquitoes! Today I served as a tasty breakfast because my repellent didn’t seem to be very effective against their barrage. West Nile Virus is a very real threat, so don’t take the pesky biters lightly if you venture into the area!

The Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is located just before you get on the bridge for Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It always reminds me of my good friends from grade school Charles Pinckney for whom the island refuge is named.

“Pinckney Island NWR, established December 4, 1975, was once included in the plantation of Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a prominent lawyer active in South Carolina politics from 1801 to 1815. Few traces of the island’s plantation in the 1800′s exist today. From 1937 to 1975, when it was donated to the Fish and Wildlife Service, Pinckney Island was privately owned and managed as a game preserve.

The 4,053 acre refuge includes Pinckney Island, Corn Island, Big and Little Harry Islands, Buzzard Island and numerous small hammocks. Pinckney is the largest of the islands and the only one open to public use. Nearly 67% of the refuge consists of salt marsh and tidal creeks. ” For more information you can visit the Fish and Wildlife website.

I was excited because the temperatures are finally cooler here in the south, making it much more comfortable for extended treks through the salt marshes and the wooded areas. I also wanted some new places to take my students for our field trips! Despite the cloudy skies, I did enjoy the right-brain therapy…

As for new ideas, I was inspired by a scrapbook page I saw from someone’s trip to Italy and decided that Savannah was too beautiful a city not to be commemorated with its own memorial of sorts. This photo panel is available for purchase and features my own unique photos of my adopted hometown. It is also available as a scrapbook page for those who have visited and would like to include in their scrapbook. Contact me for current pricing information.

As to the new projects, the previous idea has led to a unique idea. Taking the same concept but rather than a city or country name, using a family’s surname or individual’s first name. Special events, such as a wedding, anniversary, quinceaños or graduation can also apply to the concept.

We met at the head of the Big Ferry Trail and hiked into the longest of the three trails. I was most anxious to see how the area had changed since my last visit almost 25 years ago. Yes, 25 years! The last time I had been there was during a field trip with John Earl while attending SCAD.

Some of my favorite moments: having a big buck bound out of the trees near the Shell Midden and disappear into the dense stand of trees; finding the most amazing trees growing to the waters of Skidaway Narrows; and my most favorite- spending the entire morning with some great photographers!

These field trips will hopefully become a regular thing (except maybe during the hottest parts of the summer). As I sit here in front of a crackling fire, warming my back-side (it is still numb from the chill), I am thrilled with the outcome.

Thanks, Jimmy, Bubba, Liz, Susan and Mark…

Palmetto & spectral highlights

I have long been a believer in the absolute need for people to have some kind of creative outlet.  Without it, humans can go crazy and said crazy person will usually take an innocent by-stander or two with him/her. Photography is an easy way to get that creative outlet.

For years I heard the same old excuse “but I can’t even draw a strait line!” Thankfully, with photography, you don’t need to be able to draw a straight line. You just need to be able to see. Recently, I was in desperate need of some therapy- major therapy. I had become so stressed-out with life, that I had lost the joy of living. The simple pleasures, like listening to the rain come down; the sound of the birds as they chirped their good morning songs;  the sun as it sets slowly into the western horizon and the waiting calm of evening.

I set out to find my therapy and headed to the Skidaway Island State Park. I walked the 1 mile Sandpiper trail and then connected to the 1 mile Avian Loop Trail. Walking through the wetlands and listening to the rustle of leaves, the chattering of the squirrels and unknown birds signaling to each other, I felt a tranquil peace come back.

So, if you’re looking for a way to escape the proverbial rat race, find your creative outlet. With digital photography, the only investment you have is your initial camera and media storage purchases. You don’t have to process or print images to see the results. You can also alter the images by using creative filters and layering. If you don’t like what you see, you can always undo or delete.

Happy shooting!