High Dynamic Range Photography

High Dynamic Range.. or HDR photographs can create amazing and stunning picture which blur the senses and make reality and illusion become one. These photographs require a set of techniques that allow for a far greater dynamic range of exposure than normal digital imaging techniques. This allows for us to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in sense from real life, ranging from direct sunlight to the deepest shadows.
This effect for an HDR photograph can be accomplished by taking the same photo but at slightly different f-stops and merging them together.
I think this technique can enhance a photo or scenery that you might not have seen as stunning or beautiful before hand and as said before give it that illusion of whether what you're looking at is real or not.


Here are just some HDR photographs that i found caught my eyes and had me looking at it all for awhile.

Night Time Photography

As I've been thinking of doing some night time photography, I thought having a look at some photographs that had been taken at night would help me think about how i would like my photographs to look. I think that having them all the same temperature will really help with that and link my narrative photographs together.

I think that this photograph has a similar temperature as to what I'm thinking about doing for my own photographs.

I really want to set my photographs around a park area near where I live, as most parks do at night time, it has this really creepy feeling to it, especially the playground. But there are also some trees that look very similar to these ones which I plan on including and would like to try and get that same lighting effect on it.

Something I also really love about night time photography is how the street lights end up looking, they illuminate so much and yet there is still able to be a dark feeling in the photograph that keeps a mysterious feeling to it. I think the temperature of this photograph is a little warmer than what I think I want my photographs to end up being. but it shows a good example of street lights.

Inspiration for ideas

I wanted to have a look at some more photographers so i could come up with some ideas for a narrative, and see what else has been done, either in a series or just singular photographs.
I started looking at some photos by Gregory Crewdson, and i think his dark mysterious photographs probably have the same feel to them as what I am going for.

                     

                      

                     

Im really interested in doing something with a bit of mystery to it all, and preferably something at night time. I like the idea of people being lost or look as though they're in search of something, but not really sure what they're looking for. 

Reading An Image

When reading into an image there are a few different things in which you can look as such as;


Elements:
- Whats in the image that you're looking at
- as well as What isn't in the image
- Whether it is Black and White, or in Colour
- Lights.. 
- and the Size of an image


Arrangements:                                                              Subject and Content:
- Depth of Field                                                             - Why .. why the photo was taken of that specific thing
- Focus                                                                         - Who .. who the photograph is of
- Rule of Thirds                                                             - Expressions
- Leading angles                                                           - Jestures
- Light and Dark.                                                           - Titles
                                                                                    - and lastly.. Who is the image aimed at?

Ghostly Photographs

I was thinking of doing something a little ghostly and paranormal for my "unbelievably real" project. So I have been looking at some ghost photos and some "paranormal" images to get maybe a better idea of what i would like to do.

I think this is a really cool photo, whether it is real or not. I like how the two figures are in the same spot in the photo, and is perhaps a little romantic... old lovers not really being apart from one another, even when ones other half had passed away. Not really sure if this is what im going for with my project though.

I personally find that most "ghost" photographs are not real what so ever as there are just far too many ways to digitally manipulate photos, but i guess its just the idea of people actually wanting to believe in something, or maybe it's fun to make a realistic looking photograph where it looks as though there is another presence.



This is also a very interesting looking photography with the same idea as the last, of two photos overlapping each other, one looking ghostly while the other image looks like the orginial photo that was taken. I think these are the only two photos i have seen that have a more realistic quality to them, yet neither are really what im going for, which i guess is good in a sense.

I thought maybe trying to make it look as though someones reflection was doing something different to what the actual person was doing and had what the reflection did affect what happened in the non-reflection image would be interesting, and a little paranormal. Ghost images are kind of just what came to mind at first, but perhaps my idea is a little more like Dracula, in the sense that his shadow doesnt always do what he does.

Amazing Photos by amazing Artists

I decided i would go have a look at this website called 'Stills' which has a whole range of different photographers on it and images of their work.
One artist i came along whose work i liked straight away was Narelle Autio. The photos are from her series 'The Place In Between', and i think they just have something really unique and appealing to look at, and they also have a real dramatic look about them which i really like. So here are just a few photos from this series that found really drew in.


Siren I, 2007, Pigment print.

Siren II

Siren VI

I think what i like is just that captured motion and the different effects the human body can have on water and the different forms created. I think the captured motion of the water makes for an interesting photograph, and gives of the illusion of the figures being captured or the water being a solid form.

Getting Ideas...

I wanted to get some ideas of the things i like in digitally manipulated photographs. And see what some other artists have done with their work.
I've started off by looking at some work done by Dave Hill, who's work i havent really seen until now, and i think there's something really interesting about his work, maybe because it doesnt look quite real, which i think is almost brought about by the lighting used, among with other things.
So here are just some pieces of his work that i really liked and thought caught my attention the most.
These first few are from Dave Hill's "Adventure" series


Hiding The Map

Where Did They Take Her

She's Almost Out of Air

The Rescue

Finding the Key

Now off to go get the Golden Lamp

To Be Continued

These are just some of the photos out of this series. I chose these ones as i really liked the effects and lighting in them and how they have that unreal quality to them.

Another Photographer who's work i had a look at was Jill Greenberg.

This is another artists who's work i havent seen much of before. though i remember there being all the media going on about her work with children and how the images almost made it seem like they were in pain. 

Though some of her work which ive just been having a look at seems really interesting and different to the usual, and have this odd look to them where it kind of looks like someones been murdered in a pool, and yet the way the body is arranged doesnt make it seem so.

These are just a few images that made me really look at the image, i believe they're from her "Glass Ceiling" series.

American doll Girl

I really just like the odd angles in this image and how you feel like you're not looking at it in exactly the right way, i think its just an interesting image and the lighting i think helps that, with it being darker on the top, and even with the highlighting on her body, it doesnt seem quite right.

Another photo from this series which i find nice to look at is this one, i think there's a really nice fore-shortening to the figure, and i like how the darkness in the surrounding swirls of the background follow on in the darkness on the bottom of the shoes.

Seeing as there were many photos on Jill Greenberg's site, i didn't have a look at all of them, but i had a quick look through some of her portrait photographs of children, which i think are really beautiful, and they somewhat remind me of Patrica Piccinini's sculpture work as i think both her work and Greenberg's photographs have that same unreal, yet real quality to them and they're both kind of unbelievable.

So this is just one image that i really liked out of the many portraits.