HDR photography

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I’m preparing a presentation on HDR photography and thought it might be nice to share some highlights ~

HDR photography stands for high dynamic range, meaning that the range of tonal values in a photograph is greater than what can be achieved in a single exposure. This is accomplished by merging together multiple exposures. The result more accurately represents the scene as seen by the human eye. Our eyes are able to see a much greater range of tones than one exposure can possibly record. However, it’s anticipated that someday cameras may have the capability to capture an HDR image in one exposure.  And that day may be here sooner than we think!

To create an HDR photo, you need to use a tripod so that the multiple images are in exactly the same position. You can use a function on your camera to take a series of under- and over-exposed images or you could manually under and over expose subsequent images in varying increments of a stop, a third of a stop, etc. You can use three, five, seven or any number of exposures to create the HDR image. Although, the higher number of images merged, the longer it will take and the larger the file will be.

HDR set before the merge

To merge the photos, you can use Photoshop or other programs that include tone mapping, such as Photomatix Pro. In Photoshop, you go to File, Automate, Merge to HDR, and select the photos you would like to merge. Photoshop will automatically align the images and create the HDR image. I like to use Lightroom and export the photos to Photomatix Pro, which also aligns and merges them. I purchased Photomatix Pro, so that I could refine the HDR images with tone mapping. The amount of information you have in an HDR image can be overwhelming and it doesn’t always look good. With tone mapping, you can choose to condense and expand qualities of the HDR image to either represent the vision of the photo in your mind’s eye or the true to life scene, as seen by the human eye.

Here’s the finished version of the organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood:

HDR image from St. Paul's Cathedral

The best subjects for HDR photography are those that don’t move, such as landscapes or architecture. People are generally not a good subject for HDR, because of movement. However, you could simulate an HDR portrait by using one exposure and adjusting it and saving it at varying under- and over-exposed increments.

Bellefield Presbyterian Church

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I checked out Bellefield Presbyterian Church in Oakland the other day and was totally impressed with it’s beautiful sanctuary.  Unlike some of the recent churches I’ve photographed, Bellefield’s sanctuary is square and wide open.  The dome ceiling really adds to the spaciousness and the acoustics are great.  While I was there, the church’s worship team was practicing and they are fantastic.  The church is made up of a young college-aged congregation, so they don’t hold back on the worship.  Anyhow, I really enjoyed their music while taking photos.  

Bellefield Presbyterian

A church member stopped by to talk with me and told me that during some financial struggles (possibly during the Great Depression), the church sold four of stained glass windows in the dome to pay the pastor.  How sad, but that’s a glimpse into hard days I hope we’ll never see.

Dome ceiling

dome ceiling

Bellefield Presbyterian

Anyhow, this church is a gorgeous place to get married in.  I suspect it plays second fiddle to Heinz Chapel just down Fifth Avenue.  The two couldn’t be more different.  Bellefield’s brightly trimmed dome and stained glass windows are very cheery.  And there is plenty of light, so its great for photography.

Bellefield Presbyterian

First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh

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I’m expanding my scope for the Churches of Pittsburgh project to the neighborhoods east of the city. There are so many magnificent and well-maintained churches concentrated in Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill that are very much a part of these university communities.  The first stop on my expanded list is the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh.  This Shadyside church has a beautiful stone exterior that I hope to get around to photographing one of these days, but for now, I concentrated my photography on the sanctuary.  It is a moderately sized church, considering the number of neighboring churches per capita.  The most beautiful feature in this church’s sanctuary is the ceiling.  I’m finding that to be a theme in this project.  The ceilings in many of the older church buildings are a work of art.  In many cases, they rival the stained glass windows and effectively focus the attention upward—very fitting for houses of worship, right?  Anyhow, let’s get to the photos.

Sanctuary from low angleSide view of the ceilingStained glass windowSmall window near altar

Church of the Assumption

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I visited the Church of the Assumption in Bellevue, Pa., on Saturday and was amazed by the beauty of this Roman Catholic church.  It’s easy to see from the church’s exterior that it is a beautiful church, but I did not realize how breath-taking it really is until stepping inside.  

sanctuary

My footsteps echoed in the large sanctuary. I can only imagine trying to keep children quiet during a service, because whispers are easily audible in this vast space. I found myself tiptoeing to keep from making too much noise.

Organ

This beautiful organ and stained glass window shine brightly at mid-day.

assumption-3

Column

One thing that struck me about this church is that it had deposit boxes built into the walls with hand-painted letters that read, “For the poor.” They were located near all exits. It was surprising in such a grandiose building and comforting all the same.

Bellevue Christian Church

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Bellevue Christian Church is a non-denominational community of believers with a heart for outreach.  The church recently started an annual turkey give-a-way in which hundreds of frozen turkeys are given away several days prior to Thanksgiving.  They do this with “no strings attached” as a way of reaching out to the local community and demonstrating Jesus’ love.  That is just one of the many efforts of the church.  It also owns and operates The Shepherd’s Door, a book and gift store that sells Catholic and Protestant items and donates 5 percent of sales to a local organization each month.  The store also offers a meeting room for use by organizations and groups that align with the mission of the church.

Here are a few photos of the church’s interior.  The church recently renovated its sanctuary and fellowship room with a blend of traditional and contemporary decor.  The beautiful stained glass window and mosaic mirrored cross are uniquely modern elements compared to some of the other church interiors I’ve photographed for this project.  

Stained glass windowView from the aisleWide view of the sanctuaryWindow by the choir risersMosaic mirrored cross