For a lot of folks, HDR is a bit of a mystery. Because it's too often used to create gaudy, over-contrasted, nearly cartoon-like images, people think its value ends at shock level. I disagree. I started playing with HDR about 2 years ago and fairly quickly moved away from what's often called the "grunge" look and into a use that brings the viewer to a heightened sense of color without moving into what I consider a "cartoony" look. Oh, sure, there are times when I go beyond merely heightened reality, but those times are just another part of my creative pallette; I use grunge or cartoon extremes to convey the message I'm trying to put forward.

In the simplest terms possible, an HDR image is the product of computer manipulation, using a program such as Photomatix, that takes a series of exposures, usually 5 or 7, and selectively blends the images using the best exposed segments of the various exposures. During the exposure, the aperture setting is held constant, but the shutter speed is changed to capture a series of exposures that range from over-exposed to under-exposed, with correctly-exposed in the middle. So, if you were using one stop increments and five exposures, you would end up with one shot that is two stops over-exposed, one shot that is one stop over-exposed, one shot that is the best overall exposure, one shot that is one stop under-exposed, and one shot that is two stops under-exposed. The software would then compare the five exposures and blend the best exposed segments from each image. The result is an image with heightened contrast, somewhat saturated color, and dramatic skies.

What follows is a collection of images and some discussion of how they came to be, consistently offered from my point of view and intended to share the thinking that goes into my creative process. Some discussions will be longer than others, but that's because there's more to say. As much as possible, I'll try to relate what I hoped to accomplish with each image and give an honest assessment of whether or not I feel I succeeded. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or comments.

I got a writing assignment to do a couple of pieces about the Kalmar Nyckel, a reproduction of a 16th Century Swedish ship that carried settlers to what is now Wilmington, Delaware. While I was visiting the ship I couldn't resist shooting some handheld HDR of some of the rigging. Fortunately, the two crew members perched on the spar were very focused and very still, so you don't see any blurring. I really like the shot.

When I was in Canada recently, my friend Jeff (aka Spiderman) took me to see Lake Superior. It's only a short ride from where he lives. This HDR view is taken looking west at the extreme northeast end of the lake.

This is a new image, one I shot last week. What I was trying to do--and I think I succeeded--was to capture the sense of heat eminating from the "glory hole." As the glass worker concentrated on the condition of the gob of glass, the orange reflection on his face, especially around his eyes, seemed to intensify the sense of total focus.

I tried to create this HDR using detail enhancer but it didn't work, so I switched to tone compressor and got what I wanted. Like all the other HDR images on this page, I created this one using Photomatix Pro.

This image and the next were taken in Rome and were rendered as grunge because of my complete frustration with the size of the crowds that kept interferring with what I wanted to do. I recognize now that that's a pretty self-involved approach, but I wanted to capture the essense of the places without having to deal with the clamor of the crowds. That was a fool's errand. I don't absolutely abhore the images and rather like the postcard quality that they took on.

There's actually a funny story connected to this one: my brother, Tom, asked me to toss a couple of coins in the fountain for him and his wife, Lisa. So when we arrived, we very purposefully positioned ourselves so Joan could go down and toss the coins in while I took the photo. We proceeded with our plan, but one small problem arose: the crowd was so dense I've never been able to identify Joan in the image. She's there somewhere, but I don't know where.

Also in Rome, these are the famous Spanish Steps. Again, I was frustrated by the number of people and extracted my revenge by rendering the image in grunge fashion.

What I like most about this image is that the multiple exposures that went into the HDR resulted in the ghosting effect that can be seen with the people moving down the steps. I like that. I'm not sure why, but it suggests to me the dynamic nature of the scene. While some people are standing still--check the woman in the red dress on the right side of the lower stairs--others are moving through the scene at various speeds. I think that the difference in speeds lends a sense of liveliness to the image.

This shot, taken at Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey, is much less "grungey" and more the style I like to use for HDR. When you look at it, you realize that there's something different about it: the sky is more dramatic than you're used to seeing, the contrast between dark and light tones is more pronounced; but it's difficult to put your finger on what exactly is different. This, to me at least, is what HDR is best used for.

Here HDR is the perfect complement to the statue, because the technique turns the sky from just "cloudy" to "threatening," accentuating the unbrella and the blowing veil. The red poppies are part of the display and are not real. Protruding from the brown ground cover, they contrast dramatically and steer your eye toward the woman.

Another shot taken at Grounds for Sculpture is much considerably more "grungey," but that's because I felt the statue called out for such a rendering. I see it as an artistic decision; as the creator of the image, it's up to me to shape the final image in the form that seems appropriate. I don't know what the name of the sculpture is, but I named the file "Dragon," so that should tell you something of what I was thinking.

For me, the piece looks like it's getting ready to strike out and is poised to collect all of its strength and energy. A very true rendering of the image, with sharply realistic color and contrast, a sky without drams, would not have served the piece well. Quite frankly, this is an image I will never do anything with, but I like it.

This image, a photo of Venice taken from the roof of the hotel in which we stayed, may not include the detail of the Texas Capitol, but it's sweeping view and painterly appearance combine to make it one of my favorite images.

Believe it or not, I didn't fiddle with the image too much; I just created an HDR rendering and added to the saturation. The hardest part of the image was the sky, which was somewhat bald and required a lot of patience.

Of course, I couldn't get away with mentioning Venice without showing some canal photos, so these two (move your cursor over the image to reveal the second image) are included in my gallery. In both I push the HDR to the edge of being surreal without going beyond realistic.

It's hard to explain, but the effect I seek is to push you to a point where you're saying to yourself--although you might not realize you're saying it--"Wait a minute! There's something funny going on here!" In other words, I've pushed the image to the point where you recognize that what you're seeing is unusual, but you can't quite put your finger on why it's unusual.

Night photography especially lends itself to HDR because using a series of exposures allows you to capture lots of detail without so over-exposing the image that it just looks like a dark, daylight photo.

This image of a cathedral in Venice illustrates that point. While there's a significant color shift, the dramatic play of light and layers of light--note the blue and the orange, the products of lights with different color values--enhances the sense of depth and impact. I also like the streaming boat light in the lower right, the product of a boat's progress and a slow shutter speed.

I shot this immediately after the image that's above because the small knot of men in the lower center of the scene suggested a story to me. I always think that photographs are more interesting when they tell a story, and this one spoke of a cabal, an incidious plot to smuggle something aboard one of the boats and to sell it on the black market.

Or maybe it captured a group of high school chums, renuniting after years of being apart and planning a fun-packed, vino aided cruise and lavish dinner for the next afternoon. Whatever it meant, it kept them glued to the spot for quite a while, as you can see phantoms elsewhere that tell you how long the exposure took.

Again, I didn't fiddle with the image too much; I just created an HDR rendering and added to the saturation.

Since I've been talking about the differences between HDR and non-HDR in rather vague terms, it occured to me that an example might be helpful. This rollover provides that.

The first image you see is an HDR rendering of a country lane with beautiful forsythia on either side. Note that the forsythia are somewhat blurred, a product of a breeze that was moving the flowers during and between exposures. In the second image, the flowers are stock still, frozen in time by a fast shutter speed.

Which is the better image? Well, that's a matter of taste. If you were photographing forsythia, you'd probably select the second image. If you were photographing a colorful country lane, the first might have more appeal. There is no absolute answer; it's a matter of taste.

I prefer the HDR rendering because if its rich tones and the depth given to the trees. I also prefer the darker pavement, feeling that it prevents the lane from being lost because of the bright yellow flowers. I also feel that the blurring of the flowers in the first image keeps the image from being so static.

If I had to choose one image as my favorite HDR image, perhaps my favorite image of any kind, it would be "Marsh Creek Sunrise," a photo that started out its life as one end of a HDR panoramic photo. Its detail is exquisite, the variety of colors is astounding, and the story it suggests is deep in meaning. I love it.

Taken one early morning as part of a group shoot, I find it to be immensely relaxing and soothing.

When it comes to large structures, such as the two villas featured here, Villa Aldo Brandini and Villa Lante, respectively, HDR can't be beat. These structures are so large that the play of light on them is difficult to overcome without losing the sense of depth. In these two images, even the bald skies didn't keep me from capturing vivid, dramatic photographs.

This shot does a couple of things at the same time: first of all it gives a sense of the dramatic contrast to be found in the city of Florence, Italy. In the background, partly obscured by the more modern buildings is the Duomo, a major house of worship for the city. Because it's a magnet for tourists--they were lined up 30 deep awaiting a chance to get in--I decided to not photograph the front. I felt it would only emphasize the press of human flesh. Instead, I chose to go around the corner and use the contrasting structures to illustrate the beauty of the church. The couple who are in the foreground added to the image by providing scale and interest. She's taking a photo, while he's vigorously telling her something. Perhaps he's suggesting she try HDR...

Before we leave Florence, we have to look at a couple of HDR shots I captured of Florences most attractive features, the bridges across the Arno River. Ornate and heavily travelled, they link the two parts of the city and bustle with both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The second bridge is the famed Ponte Vecchio; it has the distinction of being the only bridge that wasn't destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War.

Here the HDR did me the great favor of stopping the fast moving Arno and producing a strong reflection of the buildings that are built down to the very edge of the beautiful river.

While it's not nearly as majestic as the Arno, the C&D Canal, which connects the Delaware and the Elk Rivers, providing a shortcut that saves ocean-going vessels days of travel between the Atlantic and Baltimore Harbor, has its own quiet beauty. In this photo I was trying to capture the tranquility of the Canal Museum and headquarters for the local offices of the United States Army Corps of Engineers who oversee the operation of the waterway. The image is considerably less dramatic than others in my collection, but its tone and contrast make it very effective.

One more waterway will complete the collection for now; this is the inlet to Lewes, Delaware. I include it here because it's such a good example of what HDR can do for you without going off the deep end and into something that looks like a cartoon. The depth of the image--I'm not talking about depth of field here--that draws you in and keeps revealing new sights is solely the product of the fact that the shadows are never allowed to block your understanding of what you're seeing. From the sign in the forground, readable when printed, to the boat downstream, the intensity is maintained.

And to demonstrate that you don't have to include water in your HDR shots, I offer this scene from West Virginia. Using HDR allowed me to produce an image that is, at the same time, dramatic and serene. The clouds are dark and lowering, but the green of the hayfield and the sun shining on the bales tell you that all is well in nature's province.

One final application of HDR is exemplified here: still life with moving light. Instead of bracketing by varying the shutter speed, with this technique you fix the aperture and shutter speed and move the flash around so that shadows are eliminated. You then use the exposures as if they were taken with varying shutter speeds. The advantage is you can include or drop given exposures and control how much shadow you want to use to enhance your image.