DSLR and HDR compositions with moving subjects

[Jayems]

Hi,

Got my new Nikon D80 a few weeks back and I think i'm ready to start playing around with some HDR compositions. I am aware of the process, and am going to teach myself through online tutorials etc... but I have one question.

I know the aperture must remain the same, just change the shutter speed with 3 exposures at +2/-2 EV etc....

My question is, how a singe image is captured with 3 exposures and not experience blurring.

Take this picture as an example.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/miedo/141923316/

If that is a true HDR edited photo, how do you get the freeze shot over 3 exposures?

Is it as simple as continuous mode with very high shutter speeds? If anyone has any expertise or knowledge on the subject, I'd love to know.

Cheers,

James.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

[Mr. Ski]

I don't think the picture you linked is a true HDR. I've never been able to capture a good one hand-held, even of stationary objects and I've got pretty steady hands overall. There's no way to take three different shots of birds in flight and have them match up like that.

Using a sturdy tripod, mirror-lockup, auto-exposure bracketing, and cable/remote shutter release is your best bet.

[Fobby]

Maybe I am totally wrong here, but Aperture is the one that controls the DOF and not the exposure. Exposure will control how much light it passes through to expose the object in question

Over expose will give you more details in darker area, but underexpose will give you less detail in shadows area.

For HDR, I would get a sturdy tripod, get the first shot in Aperture or shutter priority, then set to manual mode to get a different range of Fstop and shutter speed.

If someone is more knowledgable.. please correct me if I am wrong.

With a moving object, some HDR converter will let you "fake it out" using the same picture, but different exposure. (So using a Raw file and changing the EV in PS). I know that HDR in CS2 will not work using this method..

[Jayems]

Thanks for the replies. I'm really new at the DSLR game, so i'm trying to teach myself as much as possible before the course starts in January.

I've heard good and bad things about the auto-bracketing. Someone said that they don't change the EV enough to make a significant difference, but my D80 will auto-bracket beyond 2EV so I assume thats alright?

Other thing is manually changing the camera settings while shooting is said to bump the camera and slightly change the position of the camera.

Is getting a remote worth the $$$?

I don't even know how much it is...

cheers.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Fobby

With a moving object, some HDR converter will let you "fake it out" using the same picture, but different exposure. (So using a Raw file and changing the EV in PS). I know that HDR in CS2 will not work using this method..

This is probably how its done. 3 copies of the same picture composited together.

[Mr. Ski]

Originally Posted by Jayems

I've heard good and bad things about the auto-bracketing. Someone said that they don't change the EV enough to make a significant difference, but my D80 will auto-bracket beyond 2EV so I assume thats alright?

Going +/- 2EV should be more than adequate. My camera goes +/- 3 stops, but I've often gone less than 2, depending on the situation. Remember for every full F-stop change you make, you are doubling or halving the amount of light that the sensor sees; 2 full stops is 4x or 1/4x the light.

If you find you need more, manual mode is always an option. Change the shutter speed; leave the aperture alone.

Originally Posted by Jayems

Is getting a remote worth the $$$?

I don't even know how much it is...

I only paid about $25 for mine. It's a simple wired version. Considering I've spent nearly $10,000 on camera gear in my lifetime, $25 seems like a pretty good deal for what it does. It's great for holding the shutter open longer than 30 seconds on bulb mode too. If you're ever going to try night photography you can't beat it.

That said, if you spend the $25 and never ever use it, then it's probably not a great purchase. YMMV.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by Fobby

Maybe I am totally wrong here, but Aperture is the one that controls the DOF and not the exposure.

No, your're right, but you can also control DoF with focal length ... the more you zoom-in, the more shallow the DoF becomes.

[Fobby]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

No, your're right, but you can also control DoF with focal length ... the more you zoom-in, the more shallow the DoF becomes.

Guess we can also talk about the DOF in relation to the distance of the object. The closer they are..the shallower DOF..

[Jayems]

Boy is it harder than I thought...

Messing with the curves is proving to be a daunting task. More practice I guess.