I am experimenting again. This time with High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging. The photo of my home’s back deck above is my first attempt. For those unfamiliar with the process, here is how it works (from Wikipedia):

High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to represent more accurately the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The two main sources of HDR imagery are computer renderings and merging of multiple photographs, which in turn are known as low dynamic range (LDR) or standard dynamic range (SDR) images. Tone mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, can be applied to produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect.

To produce the photo above, using a tripod I took three shots with my cheapo camera (Canon PowerShot A570IS, 7.1 megapixels) and varied the exposure compression by –2 and +2.  Then with the Photomatix (or get the free Qtpfsgui 1.9.3) program, I combined the three shots into a single HDR image, and then tone mapped it, saved it as a JPEG, and here it is.  To compare this image to the same photo with normal standard dynamic range, see below.  Any perceivable difference?  hehehe.  Amazing, right?  When the rain stops, I will try to find more interesting subjects under better lighting conditions and continue my fun. So stay tuned.