Practical HDR: The Complete Guide to Creating High Dynamic Range Images with Your Digital SLR [Paperback]

High Dynamic Range (HDR), people either love it or hate it.
The latter is most likely because there are so many poor examples of its application out there - where the instigators have been so engrossed with its potential to produce an outlandish image that the technique has been used to try and make an otherwise mediocre or poor photograph look 'different'.

In this book David Nightingale shows how it can be used as just another tool in the digital photographer's workshop to produce an image that can express an otherwise unattainable result that best conveys the photographer's vision.

That result can indeed be far removed from 'reality', or it can be a subtle interpretation of a scene that gives no indication of being anything other than a straightforward photograph of what the human eye can see. A more extreme application of the technique can produce images that are incredibly 'graphic' - ones that bear little resemblance to a conventional photograph and which are more comparable perhaps with a lithograph or etching. If the end result is pleasing to the viewer then it matters little what technique was employed to achieve it.

I have used HDR techniques for several years, both professionally and for my own personal imagery. I have experimented with both extreme and subtle approaches and each have their place. In this book each of the three current major players in the HDR software market are considered alongside detailed instruction in how best to produce and handle the original digital images required for the technique to work effectively.

Even though I had some prior experience, I found the structured approach laid out in this book - together with the detailed considerations of the virtues and shortfalls of each piece of software - extremely useful in organising and refining my technique. Although there is a wealth of information available on the web if you hunt it down, nowhere have I seen the process explained with such clarity and with such detailed comparative examples.

This book will therefore suit both absolute newcomers to the technique as well as those already immersed in its capabilities. Profusely illustrated with work by David Nightingale himself (much of which will be familiar to followers of the Chromasia web site) as well as by other practitioners from around the world, the book is well laid out and printed to a high standard. There are many 'screen grabs' of the various stages of production, the respective image histograms and the varying effects given by different software settings. Starting with an explanation of what 'dynamic range' is, how it relates to an image histogram and how to interpret these, there follows detailed examples of the technique in action using Photomatix Pro, FDR Tools and Adobe Photoshop software. Each of these is available on free trial download from their respective suppliers and a listing of other software available but not considered in the book is also included.

This is a great book for anyone interested in exploring a technique that offers possibilities of interpretation unique to digital photography.

There is a fundamental issue with HDR in that it is easy to learn but difficult to master. The main skill you need to master HDR is the ability to take technically good pictures with a dSLR, and not anything to do with HDR itself. The irony of course is that if you know how to take technically good pictures, you know 90% of everything you need to know about HDR!

So what do you need to know in terms of digital photography?

You have a good understanding of the advantages of camera RAW over other formats (esp JPEGs). You need to know enough about your camera to be able to take a number of images of exactly the same scene but with different exposure values (EV), varying only the shutter to alter the tonal range per shot. Experience with digital post production (Lightroom and/or Photoshop and/or using your Camera RAW converter software) is useful. You also need to have an appreciation of digital and chromatic aberration (both can be a big issue in HDR as you add a number of images together and the noise can also be additive).
Finally, you need to know the underlying reason why dSLR never reproduce images with the same luminosity range available to the human eye (which in essence, is the problem HDR is addressing).

After that, the rest of the HDR process is a piece of cake, as you're using a fairly simple process that consists of slider tweaking in dedicated HDR applications (you can also do it in Photoshop, which can be more difficult as you are messing about with layers and adjustment masks, but CS5 now automates even that, so even there it's still slider tweaking!).

The upshot of all this is that HDR is something you can learn quickly (I learnt and practiced the entire process with numerous shots over a rather enjoyable weekend), and its something that gives you a very useful new photography skill. For example, I now use HDR in product photography - it is a much easier way to produce excellent lighting without actually having to use expensive physical lighting.

My only slight criticism with the book is that the author seems to lean towards the more `hyper-real' style of HDR (which I would define as over saturated and cartoony) instead of `natural' HDR (simulating how the eye actually perceives the scene by extending the tonal range into something closer to real life). However, I can forgive this, as both routes are covered well, and sections on how to tone down the effect based on personal preference are well documented.

Overall, I got an enjoyable weekend playing with something new in photography and at less than 10 quid its far cheaper than a new lens (and as a new lens is usually 300-500 quid, my partner probably approves!). The book is also full colour quality printing throughout, so on a physical basis, the book is a bit of a steal and a nice book to flick through.

Recommended for any competent dSLR user looking for a new challenge.

*** Update November 2010 ***
Since writing this review, I have also bought the HDR books by Pete Carr and Rick Sammon. I still hold that the Practical HDR book is currently the best of the bunch.

It is worth noting however, that the new NIK EFEX HDR plugin is available (as of November 2010), and may be a better choice for new HDR users rather than Photomatix (the latter of which all current HDR books major towards). Also, Photoshop CS5 now has much better HDR support, and this is not covered in any of the three books. Given all this, it may be better waiting for an updated book edition.

Wow. It's getting like buying cameras; you buy the best one and a better one gets announced the next week. Damn ;)

*** update Dec 2012 ***
There is an updated edition of this book imminent: Practical HDR

This is not the biggest tome on the subject of HDR imagery but does a good job at explaining the issues involved and reviews several proprietary products to make the task better and/or easier, but emphasises that there might still be some work to do in an image editing programme. Both subtle and subjectively some 'over the top' images are shown. For the money an excellent book.