Time to migrate my domains, blog, content and galleries to a new server. So if things go wonky for a few days or weeks you know why. I am also switching themes, so hold on to your seat…
UPDATE 6/29/11 – main site has migrated successfully, with a few minor things removed that I will not be using on the new site that is coming. WP 2.x to 3.x upgrade was a big leap, and needed. Now onto two new domains of eye candy for you and back to this one to launch a whole new series. Stay tuned!
UPDATE 7/3/11 – nearly everything is working. Did not expect to become a bit of a WordPress developer to get things the way I wanted, but a bit of customization was in order to meet my needs. Now loading content and making three sites usable to the world soon!
UPDATE 7/9/11 – Things are about done. Migrations, setup, development, tweaks and customization is done. Now onto loading more content and getting some blog posts done that I have been remiss in getting done as I did not want to migrate more content than necessary.
-Landon
HEC = Hybrid Exposure Control
Gold & Blue - last light of the evening
A term I coined 4 years ago when I stopped calling any exposure-bracketed work I do as “HDR”. I found the HDR term becoming synonymous with a look. A look that was not mine. I bracket exposures, mostly with landscapes, to have total control over the dynamic range as well as my vision for the scene. Hybrid comes into play because I don’t use any one method or any one tool to make my vision a reality.
So what is HEC? It is a workflow that employs HDR tools many times, but not always. It is a workflow that many times uses more than one tool in more than one way. It is really about refinement of vision and putting a set of tools and processed together to get me the control I want from my exposure-bracketed shots.
The HEC workflow started out using Photomatix. Often passing the exposures through this tool two or three times quite often and then merging those results often by hand. Then the tools got better as well as more choices of tools. As of today I have looked at and explored just about all the HDR tools out there. Many I have abandoned as choices for one reason or another. Too slow. Too clunky. Not enough control. Not my look. But a few have stuck.
Photomatix 4 is still in my arsenal of tools, but I use it very infrequently now. My favorite tool of late is still in beta. I have been using the beta since the first day it came out. I really like Oloneo Photo Engine. It has some work to go to make it a true workflow tool, but I really like the control I get for my vision with this tool.
I have recently spent 2 weeks with Nik HDR Efex Pro. I love all their other tools and really wanted to run this one through its paces. I have abandoned it. At least version 1 will not be part of my arsenal. It has introduced weird gray-blobby low contrast areas in shadows on way too many images making the resulting merges useless.
More to come as I put some recent examples together and link them here.
-Landon
Strong words that got your attention? OK, just so you know, HDR is fine, but I often get asked about my approach. So here is the first peek into my desires for my work.
Warming Light - Spring sunrise from a nice viewpoint.
Four years ago I stopped calling anything I do with exposure bracketing as “HDR”. Why?
1) I saw a trend of most everything being pushed to the extreme – not my approach.
2) I saw the buzzword becoming a negative term to many people.
3) I saw that the term usually denotes a certain look, and not a look I wanted to be associated with for my body of work.
4) I want my images to stand the test of time. Before, during and after the buzzwords have become popular or replaced.
5) This is my art, so I can call it what I want.
6) I like HDRI and have for years, but I like control, not so much the fantasy look.
So what do I call it? Years ago I coined the term “HEC” as Hybrid Exposure Control or Hybrid Exposure Compensation. A much more accurate term for my approach then, now and likely the future. Why name it? Just seemed appropriate to put a handle on it somehow. Hybrid Exposure Control is much more of what I am about, control.
So what do I hate about HDR? Hate is a strong word, but it got you to read this eh?
• As an art form it is fine. For me it is too limiting.
• The buzz word often carries expectations of a certain look and feel.
• Many are put off by the term “Oh, you did an HDR. Too bad, it could have been good”.
• Generally I hate blue skies that turn gray, weird contrast shifts and weird feel you often get in skies.
• Generally I hate halos, odd glows and contrast shifts that introduce unnatural artifacts.
• Generally I hate the super-saturated tones, especially in certain colors, that HDR often gives you.
• Generally I hate distracting contrast shifts throughout an image. I hate the light and dark patches introduced in an area that to the human eye is more flat.
• I dislike reflections that are brighter than what they are reflecting – this does not happen in reality.
• I hate the way bright exposures introduce artifacts into the mix. Things like light bleeding over into other areas, lens flares that effect areas of the scene etc. My work flow controls this though.
• I hate the way HDR often accentuates grain, noise, dust and details that distract from the image.
So what do I love about HDR?
• There are some really cool tools. It is a hot topic and new tools are coming out all the time.
• The algorithms used can reign in some crazy dynamic range.
• These tools allow you to explore new ideas and create with fewer constraints.
• People are creating wonderful work with these tools. I like seeing it all.
• It can be a great mix of science and art, just like photography has always been.
• I like reality, but with a touch of surreal quality. This is art not documentary work.
So what do I do different?
For starters I have been merging exposure-bracketed shots trying to control my vision and the dynamic range of a scene for years and have developed a look and feel that I personally like to see and look at. May not be for everybody, but the feedback has been good, so I guess I am on the “right track” for my taste.
For the most part it is pretty simple. I do not rely on one process, one tool or one routine to get me to my final goals.
FAQs
Q: Is this process a work flow or a work slow?
A: It is a true work flow, not a work slow. Most of my images I create in my HEC workflow take minutes to finish.
Q: Is it complicated?
A: No and yes. Depends on how you look at it. I have multiple tools that do multiple things generally, but some tools do one thing better than another.
Q: What do you mean by hybrid?
A: Quite literally, it is a hybridized approach – gathering the tools and processes together depending on the image at hand. Depends on location, time of day, contrast range, color intent, final desires of the image, what goals I have set, what software I am liking at the time, etc. Basically I do not rely on any one tool on any given day to meet my needs.
Q: How is it hybrid, can you explain?
A: Hybrid because I pull in the tools I need for any given image. I also don’t do the same thing to every image. My mind’s eye to a goal of the image refines the image with the tools at hand.
Q: So what are your goals in making an HEC image?
A: Generally this is answered by one of two things: (1) How I saw the scene or (2) How I felt about being there. Those can be subtle differences or big differences. It can also be a mix of the two. I love to “nail the image in-camera” but often find limitations inside that box I want to overcome.
Insight
So now you want some tricks right? Some insight into my approach? Some behind the scenes vantage points?
It is nearly impossible to explain the way I work through all the variables at hand for a body of HEC work. But there are many generalizations that can be made. I am documenting those in an eBook that I plan to have ready by the end of the year.
I have also been asked to do workshops on my approach.
But before that happens, here are some basics:
• In the field I am gathering data. I try not to over think it. I am there to capture the entire dynamic range available then determine in post if a single 14-bit RAW file is all I need or three bracketed exposures, or four, or seven. I am not sloppy in the field. I have done it enough long enough that it just feels natural.
• I don’t limit myself to one tool, one process or one way of thinking.
• I am much more likely to do things in the fewest steps possible, but not afraid to push the envelope as needed.
• I am not afraid to experiment and look beyond myself, but generally reign things in with my vision and goals in mind.
• I try new tools all the time. Many don’t fit at all, but I will never know until I try them.
• I look at other artist’s work all the time. Usually daily. I find what I love about their work and take that into my next session and interpret it my way. I take what I don’t like about their work and remove that from my next session.
• Refinement, exploration, planning, enjoyment, vision.
The future
My work will continue to evolve. New tools will come and old tools will fall into disuse. I am already seeing that today. There was a time I leveraged certain parts of Photomatix Pro in certain ways, but lately I have not used it at all.
The new tools coming out are getting better. More control over my vision with fewer steps. As the tools improve so does my vision. I also find that going back to shots I bracketed many years ago have new life with new tools. I also find that old shots could not be mined for the potential years ago but today maybe they can.
The good, the bad & the ugly
The good news is I enjoy it. I dive into it. I live eat and breath it.
The bad news is I wish I had more control in-camera, but that is coming.
The ugly is that I take a lot of exposures. 150,000 per year is common. But my work flow can handle it.
Mistakes and failures
Yup, I have plenty of them. I am not afraid to experiment. It is how I learn – by doing. Doing it wrong leads you to discovery. Learn from others, but learn from yourself too. If you are afraid to push yourself, push your art, push your vision, you might get stuck in mediocrity.
So what do I use HEC for?
Grand landscapes and scenery details – almost always.
Real estate and architecture – almost always.
Portraits – not very often, but sometimes it is just the thing. I was told it was useless for them, so I found ways around that argument.
From the simple to the complex
Often a 14-bit RAW file is all I need, but not always.
Many times two bracketed exposures, two layers and a layer mask is all I need.
Often 5 bracketed exposures a stop apart is perfect and provides a great foundation for completing the image.
Rarely 7 to 9 stops are needed, but generally I find the light sucks with this much dynamic range and often the final image will too.
Complexity can come into play when you pass your bracketed shots through several different tools, different routines, multiple layers, multiple adjustments and mix it all together. Then try to repeat it for another image. Keeping track of your settings. Leveraging batch processes where feasible and working towards goals all help keep it humming along and repeatable though.
Closing thoughts
Tools are meant to be used as tools. I don’t let them bend me to their will, I bend them to mine. Use the tools at your disposal to make your vision a reality.
Control your camera, control your exposure, control your process, control your vision.
-Landon
