This is a can of worms topic in the world of photography. Generally speaking photographers fall in one of two categories:- Category 1: "I HATE HDR, it is overdone, overused, it is a gimmicky post processing trick that attempts to turn a bad photo into a good one, and I can't stand it".
- Category 2: "I LOVE HDR, it is a great tool because it lets us see a dynamic range closer to what the eye sees."
Here is something to consider: People that buy and/or enjoy photography but are not photographers seem to all love HDR (generally speaking). These folks don't know it is HDR or even what HDR means. They just know whether or not they like the photo. What an interesting concept. The end product is all they care about. They might want to know what the photographer was thinking when they composed the image or they might like to hear the story of it's creation. But dollars to donuts they could care less if it's HDR.I want to charge each of you with this... FORGET the method used for a given photograph and evaluate wether or not you "like" the image. In the end, that is all that really matters.
Update:
Check out these other posts regarding this same topic:
Mike Pedde http://www.wolfnowl.com/2011/01/why-use-hdr/
In all honesty, I have always been on of those that thinks that it is WAY overused and that it looks over processed, however, your post has really gotten me to think about it and appreciate for just what it is. Aesthetically pleasing photography! Not everyone likes the bleached out look for the same reasons, but its the end product that you should be judging...not the "how". Great post!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kayla for stopping by and leaving a comment. I am glad to see the post struck a chord with you. In the beginning I was one of the people who hated all HDR. Then I realized that it is a tool that can be used to produce images that I do like. Not to mention that different people simply like different things. Again, thank you for the comment.
ReplyDeleteHi Jason: I saw your comment on Rick Sammon's 'I Hate HDR?' post, so I've added this link to my 'Why Use HDR?' post (http://bit.ly/WhyHDR) as well!
ReplyDeleteMike.
I just looked over your post. It looks wonderfully detailed. Thanks for stopping by and I will be sure to check out more of what you do.
ReplyDelete