RealTown's RealTalk

Jerry Bridges writes:
Jim, what Ronny is telling you to do is shoot in "brackets" or better known
as "HDR". You can Google HDR and find more information than you will ever
need.

Using "brackets" in photography has nothing to do with "HDR", which stands
for "High Dynamic Range". 'Brackets' are time exposure intervals in which
frames are recorded automatically by your camera, if allowed.

Hans O Oscarsson LL.M., MBA (also an awarded avid non-professional
photographer)

Here's a software product that is part of my post-photography tool kit:

http://www.hdrsoft.com/

Photomatrix Pro

Keith Byrd

www.SloCountyHomes.com

Back in the film days, people used to do manual exposure bracketing to make sure they got the best possible shot. You would take additional shots above and below the metered exposure by changing the aperture or shutter speed. This was important because you were never sure about the shot until it came back from the lab.

With Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB), the camera will do this for you. Setting the number of exposures, and whether it changes aperture or shutter speed varies by camera.

Like Jerry, I use multiple flashes for interior photography (between 1 and 8 of them) but I do HDR for exteriors and HDR for 95% of everything I do for fun. I use Photomatix as Keith posted.

Someday, HDR will be automated and built in to most if not all cameras. The new Pentax has some of it, but until then I don't know of any way to do HDR without bracketing.

You need to keep the aperture fixed and change the shutter speed with HDR. This is because aperture affects the depth of field of your focus and you really want each of the combined photos to have the same focus.

This can be manually, but I have my camera set to take a burst of shots with one press of the button.

Malcolm Waring, REALTOR®, e-PRO
Pocono Homes

Just a note about the multiple lights. Start with the best one you can buy that goes with your camera. In other words FL-50R for Olympus users, and SB-900 or SB-800 for Nikon.

This will be useful for all your non real estate flash work, as well as for most of the rooms for real estate. I use one single flash for all the small bedrooms and such.

Then I add a second flash for lighting the far end of big rooms, then more lights for adjoining rooms. I last used all 8 of them for a hotel lobby. Most houses in this area are modest so 3 lights are used at most.

If you want to use multiple strobes, I find it really easy to shoot manual. For RE photos that go on the web, I use ISO 400 and start with f5.6 and 1/125. Just check your LCD to see if the outside windows look like they are exposed correctly and adjust your exposure a bit. Then turn up your main flash to light the room, then add the other strobes as needed.

No matter what kind of camera you have, if you are shooting manual the best flash is the old Nikon SB-80DX since it has a dandy optical trigger and you can really adjust the output. I have two that I found after I already bought Vivitars and expensive radio triggers.

And get some eneloop rechargeable batteries.

Malcolm Waring, REALTOR®, e-PRO
Pocono Real Estate

I'm not using the Photomatrix software too often these days. I usually will take the photo in RAW, then adjust exposure to dark so the windows are ok and have that as my background. Then place another copy of the photo on top with a lighter exposure and cut out the windows so the background shows through.

Here are some of my recent property websites with the photos. Using a 12-24mm Nikon on a D90. The fly-through videos were taken with the D90 and the wide angle lens using a Steadicam.

http://www.2625maple.com/

http://www.756forest.com/

Keith Byrd
www.SloCountyHomes.com

Jerry Bridges wrote on
July 6, 2009 6:15 AM
Hans wrote: Using "brackets" in photography has nothing to do with "HDR",
which stands
for "High Dynamic Range".
 

"Have to disagree with you Hans, you can't do a true HDR without brackets."
....
I do not know where to start. Maybe I shouldn't start at all, but...
Here's the statement by Jerry Bridges that I commented on:
 

"Jim, what Ronny is telling you to do is shoot in "brackets" or better known
as "HDR"."
 

At first I thought that was just another misinformed RT:er making a comment
on photography, so I just wanted to set the record straight about
photography, of which I know quite a bit since the mid-fifties.
Bracketing in photography is nothing new. As a matter fact it started when
we got cameras with adjustable lenses and shutters. (For the time being,
forget about the black hole cameras, if you wish).
'Bracketing' only means taking a series of frames of the same subject with
different shutter speeds (or, in extreme situations, at different apertures
- which actually makes NO sense since that would change the depth of field,
and thus defy the whole idea of taking multiple frames).
Now, back to my original comment. Your claim that to "shoot in brackets is
better known as HDR" is nothing but nonsense and false! It's NOT known as
HDR! Manual or automatic bracketing was known/used long before 'HDR', which
by the way is a "post processing" procedure, requiring off camera computer
software (for now), as opposed to 'bracketing', which is done in-camera.
Finally, I don't feel that people have to agree with ME, just accept and
embrace facts.
 

PS I noticed in your response that you claim to be an
"(also a paid semi-professional photographer)"
I hope you don't charge too much.
 

Hans O Oscarsson LL.M., MBA