Have you ever felt triumphant to have captured a precious moment on camera, only to discover that the beautiful cloud formation you witnessed with your eyes in the sky ended up looking all washed out in your photo? Have you shot pictures outside on a gorgeous day, only to discover later there were darkened images in your pictures? Have you ever experienced taking pictures of scenes featuring lights both indoors and outdoors, only to get an overly dark or overly bright image?
These are some of the most common problems experienced by people using cameras for scenes that involve a wide range of light—from bright to dark. In situations like these, you are forced to choose whether you want to capture the brighter parts of the scene or the darker ones. Even the best, most expensive professional cameras today do not have the ability to capture all ranges of light in one image. This is where High Dynamic Range or HDR photography saves the day (or should I say, the photo).
How High Dynamic Range Works
HDR photography works by capturing multiple photos with the exact same composition; however, it is capable of doing this with different exposure settings. After doing so, it merges the images and produces one photo. To offer an illustration, it is similar to a photographer using his camera to take one photo exposed for the darkest area with a second photo exposed for the area with medium brightness, and finished off with a third photo exposed for the brightest area of the entire scene. It would then be as if he takes these images, uses a software program like Photoshop, and blends them together to produce one single, excellent photograph.
The HDR Feature in Your iPhone Camera
Your iPhone has the same ability to create HDR photos. When you use this feature on your camera, it literally takes three images at the same time using different exposures, and then layers the best parts of each to create a single image that is ready in just a matter of seconds.
How to Use HDR in Your iPhone Camera
To use your iPhone camera’s HDR, simply tap the camera application on your home screen, then click at the top where it says “Options”. When you do, two features will appear—the grid and the HDR. Tap the HDR feature to turn it on and tap it again to turn it off. Remember, the HDR feature will remain on until you turn it off.
When You Should Use HDR
If you want to have better-looking photos, you should try using HDR in certain situations such as when you are trying to shoot a big landscape, portraits in sunlight, or in backlit scenes.
Landscapes
In this scenario, there is typically a lot of contrast between the land and the sky. With the use of HDR, your camera won’t have a difficult time dealing with the contrast, and you will be able to capture the details of the sky without getting the land too dark.
Portraits in Sunlight
When you take a photo on someone’s face which is directly exposed to sunlight, there can be too much lighting that can cause a bright glare, dark shadows, and unflattering characteristics. To avoid this, you need to use HDR to neutralize the amount of light in your photo, improve its quality, and make your subject look better.
Low Light and Backlit Scenes
You need to use the HDR feature when the scene has too much backlight. This typically happens when the scene is too dark. Using the HDR can help brighten the foreground without affecting the well-lit portions of the image.
When You Shouldn’t Use HDR
There is no doubt that HDR can make your photos look a lot better. However, you should also know that it can make your pictures look worse in certain situations.
Photos with Movement
Never use HDR when one of your subjects is moving as it will increase the chance of producing a blurry photo. Bear in mind that HDR takes three pictures, so if any of your subjects move between the first and second shot, there is a big chance that your final photo won’t look good.
High Contrast Scenes
HDR can make a photo less intense and interesting when you take it when some parts of the scene have stark contrast between the light and dark shade. For instance, if you are trying to highlight a silhouette, HDR will reduce the contrast between the two shades, thus making the photo less interesting.
Vivid Colors
Do not use HDR when you are dealing with vivid colors as the feature can wash them out. If you are shooting a scene that is too bright or too dark, then the feature can retain the color in the picture.
How to Enable “Keep Normal Photo” Feature
Since your iPhone will be taking three different images every time you use the HDR feature, there is an option in your phone’s settings that enables you to keep a copy of the normal photos. To enable this feature, you need to go to the “Settings” application found on your home screen, tap “Photos and Cameras”, then tap “Keep Normal Photo” so that it turns on, and finally tap again to turn it off.
Samples of HDR Photography Applications
Although the iPhone camera’s built-in HDR feature takes great HDR pictures, I am afraid there are definitely some limitations to this feature. You can visit The App Store where you can choose from different HDR photography applications for iPhone that will allow you to enjoy features that are more sophisticated. Some of the applications you will find there are ones with names like:
· Simply HDR
· Pro HDR
· HDR FX Pro
· Camera+
· HDR Fusion
· True HDR
· Dynamic Light and more
The details above are the most important things that you need to know about using the High Dynamic Range feature. Once you continually practice using it, you won’t have any trouble producing excellent photographs using your iPhone.