• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

HDR in my kitchen

George Farmer

Founder
UKAPS Team
Joined
30 Jun 2007
Messages
7,098
Location
Cambridgeshire
We're re-decorating the hallway and laying some new flooring, so I've moved the tank into the dining area of the kitchen.

I think it looks better here and will stay. The tank and cabinet match the kitchen decor quite well. You can't see the cooker or fridge but they all match, so the missus is happy. And it's handier for water changes!

Trouble is my conversation ability at mealtimes will no doubt suffer as I find myself transfixed to the tank while I am eating! lol

This is my first attempt at HDR.



For those that aren't aware of HDR (high dynamic range) photography - you basically take three (or more) exposures of the same thing. A tripod is a must! I also used a remote shutter release with mirror lock-up to prevent any vibration, as the exposures went into seconds, due to the low light.

One exposure is 'normal', with the others deliberately over and underexposing. I used 17mm focal length to get as much into the shot as possible, ISO 100 (best quality) and f/16 (high depth of field).

The three shots are then combined automatically using software (in this case, Photomatix). The final result brings out details in the shadows whilst preventing overexposure of highlights. It's a simple concept that can work really well. It's particularly useful for tricky lighting conditions with a large range in lighting (high dynamic range) i.e. a well-lit aquarium in a relatively dark kitchen...

You have a lot of control over the final product, so with practice I'm sure I will get better. Stu Worrall has some superb landscape examples on his Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sworrall/s ... 862880252/
 
Nice photo ;) as you said in another thread, it is always nice to see how people's tanks fit into their homes.
 
Nice spot there George, but i suppose you could always get a bespoke kitchen table with a tank in the middle. That way your other half won't notice you looking away, too much. :lol:
 
I'd be the most ignorant host in the world with a tank like that next to me :lol:
I like the HDR photos, although has it made the sand look very orange, or is your sand just very orange?
 
Back
Top