HDR with the D3400

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. This type of photography is great for subjects that have high contrast; clouds in the sky, bricks on a building, faces with wrinkles, etc. For creating pictures of this type, we need to take multiple shots of the same subject using different exposures.

Some cameras will have a function called Auto-Exposure Bracketing or AEB. AEB will simplify the process by taking three photos automatically with different exposure levels. Unfortunately the D3400 does not have this function so we need to set up the exposure manually.

Put your camera in "P mode" (programmed auto). This mode will automatically set your aperture and shutter speed when we change the exposure.

Take your first photo

While pushing the exposure compensation button (+/_) rotate the wheel to adjust the exposure level. We need a high and low exposure.

As you turn the wheel on the camera while pushing the exposure compensation button you will see the exposure on your camera getting lighter or darker, you will also notice the numbers (in yellow) going up or down. Above you can see on the left a higher exposure (+3) and on the right a lower exposure (-2.3).

In order to create our HDR photos we will need at least 3 photos with different exposures.

below you see the original photos and their HDR counterpart.

Normal, High, Low, HDR