How to Create a Tasteful HDR Image

HDR images took the photography world by storm about 15 years ago, and after a few years, they mostly fell away, as they were mostly deemed to be too over the top to be tasteful. Nonetheless, even today's best cameras can't capture some scenes all in one exposure, and as such, if you want to avoid blown highlights or shadows, you need to combine multiple exposures somehow. This in-depth video tutorial discusses what makes for a tasteful HDR image and how to go about creating one in Lightroom. 

Coming to you from Brian Matiash, this great video tutorial discusses the topic of HDR (high dynamic range( images and how to create one in Lightroom. HDR images often get a bad rap because they are associated with over-processed photos with ultra-high levels of saturation, but done right, they can be a very useful way to improve the quality of your images. Matiash describes the proper way to approach the technique in probably the best way I have ever heard: HDR should be thought of as a technique for improving the technical quality of an image, not as a means of stylization. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Matiash.

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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