I have had several requests for more information on HDR Photography, so I thought I would put together some links that you can check out when you have time. I find this kind of photography very interesting because it can render both realistic and surrealistic results. I like to use it on my iPhone 3GS because the camera is so cruddy that it helps in low light shooting.

At any rate, here are some great links for getting started and for learning more about this popular photography method that anyone can do

Click here to view the embedded video.

1. Awesome site – CambridgeinColor
2. Some great shots from SmashingMagazine
3. Some great tutorials from visualphotoguide
4. Here is some great info and links for the Photomatix software
5. Captain Kimo’s (Excellent Site!)
6. Free HDR software
7. The Flickr HDR Group
8. Second Picture

These are by no means an exhaustive list of all possibilities, just a few links to get you going in the right direction.

One of my latest obsessions is HDR photography. High Dynamic Range photos are very vivid and sometimes surealistic. But they always cause the viewer to stop and examine what they are looking at. Here is an example of an HDR photo (below)

As you can see, this vivid shot, by Patrick Smith Photograpy, captures the dynamic range of all the colors and light in the image. Without using HDR, the sky would be too dark and the foreground in view, or the sky would be in view and the foreground would be too dark to see. That is the beauty of HDR images, they give you everything you want.

To that end, I am sharing a great iPhone app called TrueHDR, which works like a charm. I have done some experiments with it and have had stunning results. I have to give my Canon Rebel XTi a shot using photomatix. At any rate, I think that it is interesting to consider that the iPhone 4 and iOS4 is bringing more to the mobile market, allowing us to take this technology with us in our pockets, on our belts, and in our cars, to be able to capture the everyday events that are so relevant to us as people.

While the iPhone 4 will most likely not produce beautiful photos like the one above, it can produce some very astounding images. If you haven’t tried HDR photography, I really suggest you check it out. I think it will be worth your while and it is fairly easy to do.

While digging around trying to find a steadi-cam for my Zi8 I stumbled across this awesome site. As a closet astronaut I thought these photos were crazy great! I wasn’t aware that they were out there. So for this week’s post check out Moonpans and let me know what you think…

Below are a couple of examples for you to check out. They are really done well and I cannot believe how clear they are. It is really amazing how they took these photos, many times not even having a viewfinder to look through due to their helmets being too large.

Here is a pretty interesting concept that a friend Alex shared with me. Some pretty interesting results. This is from Chase Jarvis blog on high speed strobe sequences. Check this out and let me know what you think about this:

Here are some awesome macro shots that are wonderfully taken. It has been a while since I last posted here on this blog, my last term at school was very busy and I didn’t have time to post like I wanted to. So to make up for it, I found  these macro shots that are spectacular. Check them out and let me know what you think?

Thanks for hanging in there with me. If you like this post make sure to share it on facebook, twitter, or whatever social platform you use. I have all the links below to share with one click.

I know that this is not a social media related post, but as an avid scuba diver myself – I couldn’t pass up sharing this with you. Now I live in Minnesota and do/have done most of my diving either on the Iron Ore Range near Virginia Minnesota, or in Lake Superior. Underwater photography and video has always been a clumsy prospect.

This is me on the wreck of The Madeira near Split Rock light house in Lake Superior. It was taken at about 60 feet or so. This was taken many years ago with a film camera in a watertight housing. Not easy to use.

Check out this article from The NY Times called Tough Cameras Make Underwater Photography Easier. I cannot believe how much easier it is to capture that perfect shot, above water as well as below.

Here is some great news for all you iPhone lovers out there. Apple has announced that it will be releasing the iPhone HD on June 22nd. This will greatly improve photo quality and also will have a front side camera for self portraits.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Here is an interesting story, and photos, about Fabian Bachrach from the Washington Post. Talk about some amazing portraits, wow! The lighting is perfect and such detail and clarity. He has photographed some of the most accomplished figures in recent American history. On top of all that, Fabian did much of this work with little time with the subject. At times having only 2 or 3 minutes with the person in between other appointments. That is just incredible considering that everything had to be ready to go so that the subject could just step in and have the shot done. In the case of the photo of Muhammad Ali, he had 2 minutes with him and got only 3 frames. That is someone that knows what they are doing.

Here is a great Mashable post, Astronaut Tweets Beautiful Images From Space, that @KariOlinger shared with me. Talk about social media being everywhere.

Anyways, just a quick post to share this. Have a great Friday everyone!

Here is a great article that really explains resolution and how to use it to output your photos to print. De-Mystifying Resolution explains file types, resolution, and formulas for determining the optimum print size based on resolution. Understanding resolution is essential in producing quality prints from your photographs. You go to all the trouble to take these great shots, learn how to get a print that looks just as good as your monitor.