This inconsistency between the human eye’s, and camera’s dynamic range can be a big problem, as a photographer won’t be able to accurately represent the scene they are provided with. However photographers can also take this shortcoming of a camera’s abilities, and turn it to their advantage.

When the world gives a photographer a lemon, what does he make? Lemonade or Lemon meringue pie?
High Dynamic Range (HDR) = lemon meringue pie; a lot more work in post production to make something palatable.
Low Dynamic Range (LDR) = lemonade; add two scoops of sugar and water to taste, with a little practice you’l find something that works for you.

HDR images can be created by taking multiple images with bracketed exposure to cover the full visible dynamic range of a scene. In post production the information from all of the images is combined to get a better representation of the original scene’s dynamic range.

To shoot LDR you need a one skill; seeing like your camera. (Throughout this series of Foveas and Photographs ‘seeing’ will be a common idea and skill to develop) Seeing in LDR won’t literally happen, you can’t override your brain’s imaging software, -at least no way I’ve been told- so seeing like your camera’s dynamic range is a skill of visualizing the end product using the information you can see.
To see in LDR go shoot and consciously pay attention to how much information your camera can capture before it begins clipping the whites or blacks, then apply that knowledge about clipping to the way you perceive scenes around you as you visualize.

A great time to start doing this is sunset; look at the objects in the foreground, then the background. With your eyes you see all of it, with detail everywhere, but as soon as you press the shutter button you immediately loose one or the other; a white sky of black foreground.

Kyle asked me if I wanted to go out and shoot some mountain biking last weekend. Shooting as the sun was going down I was faced with the challenge of the massive dynamic range between the setting sun, and the shadows creeping longer across the hill. Instead of throwing 4 flashes into the shot (don’t get me wrong, I was really tempted) I opted for natural light and shot LDR.

The first shot is shooting the shadow side of kyle as he tried to drive his handle bars into the ground (can you really get over how low that is?) the setting sun is just behind the hill (not under the horizon yet).

The second shot was taken after the sun has set, the afterglow of dusk still bright in the western sky creates a great silhouette, it is also isolating the mud thrown around like miniature bombshells

LDR is a very different technique than HDR in many ways; the process, previsualization, post production. I’d like to point out one of the most amazing parts about shooting LDR; the simplicity. When you fill the frame with solid blacks or solid whites you are clearing up the visual space, this blog is already too long to go into how amazing negative space is for composition, however great use of negative space makes great photographs.

If the information you read here follows thru to a future button push (photo) please share the story, photographs and your thoughts. Oh and yes, I do know LDR is commonly used to abbreviate long-distance-relationship.

LDR is the new black -some times literally.

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