HDR ART ???
For further reading check out HDR Photography: Theory of Usage.
I heard a story today where one of my favorite HDR photographers (Stuck in Customs) was disqualified from a Smithsonian photo contest because the photo he entered was generated using HDR (high dynamic range). The HDR process is kinda complex and to put it in as simple terms as someone of my limited knowledge can, a photographer uses a software tool to stitch two or more separate exposures of the same photo together to create a more vivid, higher contrast photo. The Smithsonian judges considered the photo “digitally altered” and wouldn’t permit it to be entered. I found the story interesting because it brings up a debate of what constitutes “digitally altered?”
I’ve been taking photos for a long time though have only recently put forth significant effort to improve my skills. For the majority of those years photographing my favorite locations, people and events photo manipulating software such as Photoshop has been a part of the process. I’ve used programs to brighten, adjust contrast and color, reduce noise and stitch panoramics for more than a decade. Even four and a half year old Kylie showed us how to make the photo of her fish “much better” with a key stroke in Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” commercial. I’d be willing to bet the Smithsonian wouldn’t disqualify little Kylie from entering her fish photo in their contest.
I certainly do understand setting some limits on the level of altering being allowed. For instance, if elements are added or removed from a photo, techniques called cloning or surreal compilation. And they have the right to not enter collages, right? But where is the line drawn?
I’ve recently been dabbling in HDR and I really enjoy the results. I’m not a professionally trained photographer and I am no authority on the art. I would assume there are plenty of purists out there who consider HDR a disgrace to the art form. It’s what I would call the Bob Ross statue. I’m not going to attempt to enter that argument. At least not yet. But what I will do is examine the HDR technique and the amount of manipulation involved and let you be the judge.
Above is a dramatic photo of an old abandoned Victorian home in Park City, Utah. It was produced using three exposures and an HDR tone mapping software. The HDR tool is not this big mathematical machine that a photographer tosses multiple exposers into and then it spits out the beautifully perfect final HDR photo. After the tool processes the HDR the result bares little resemblance to the original photo. At this point the photographer enters the tone mapping process where they are presented with a slew of sliders to adjust everything from luminosity to color balance. All of these options will be very familiar to anyone who knows their way around Photoshop. The artist will be able to produce a very dramatic photo, as the one above, or scale back the sliders to generate a photo that resembles the original exposures used to generate the HDR.
The first two photos below are two different tone mapping results generated from the same HDR. The third is one of the original exposures used to generate the HDR. Click each photo for larger versions.
As you can see the variety of intensity is very drastic. The same can be said for the possibilities presented to an artist through Photoshop (just imagine if I applied the sponge filter to this photo in Photoshop). This photo is a good example of some of the benefits of HDR as no longer is shooting directly into the sun taboo. In fact it produces much more dramatic results.
As I said earlier I’m not going to interject my views on what makes art. I’m only discussing methods and tools available to artists. As far as I’m concerned the question isn’t whether the photo was altered as it is whether the result no longer constitutes art in the hands of the artist. I find it interesting that Mr. Stuck in Customs won this very contest a few years ago (certainly with an HDR photo) and the winning entry still hangs in the Smithsonian. I guess the debate rages on.
Burns Cowboy Shop
Park City, Utah is chock full of little boardwalk fronted Victorian structures. Burns Cowboy Shop is one of my favorites. However, the building itself might be all the historic mining residents of Park City would recognize. Now the town is a playground for the rich and famous and what are Hollywood Sundance Film Festival goers going to do with a saddle and spurs? Well, actually you can get a saddle in Burns (as you can see from the photo) but it would be beautifully embroidered and gem studded. None of the their merchandise will ever see the world from the back of a horse.
Click photo for a larger version.
TOP NORTH AMERICAN SKI DESTINATIONS – Authenticity
Ski resorts often spring up in mountainous areas where once thriving mining communities gave way to devastating emigration and boredom. Skiing was often all these locales had left. Depending on their location however, tourism can transform ski towns into sprawling theme destinations. And quickly resorts realize that if they cater to children then parents will promptly flock. While parents sip hot totties fire-side in peace and leisurely cruise slopes, little Timmy and Sally can be kept out of trouble by Dora and Diego on skis.
Every once in a while we’ll stumble on a less common ski destination that seems oblivious to the draw of the activity elsewhere. Though resisting the spoils of popularity is getting harder and harder in an ever shrinking world. Only here are we reminded how great the sport is when experienced in it’s more pure form.
- Telluride, Colorado- It helps that Telluride is simply difficult to get to. This dead-end mining town was only kept alive by their skiing possibilities. With no room for expansion it has resisted the throngs of development for the most part but I don’t know how long it can be able to remain at the top of my list. The now idyllic grassy valley floor is being aggressively pursued by developers. A feisty contingent of preservationists have fended off the attackers with great success however and Telluride remains largely unchanged since its Victorian era golden age.
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming- Even though the town of Jackson has embraced it’s old west roots and exercised more kitch than I prefer it is quite true to it’s ancestry. This authenticity can nearly entirely be attributed to the local residents that continue to go about their business. It’s not rare to see cowboys moseying over actual boadwalks, dusty pickups with Blue Healers in the back and evidence of horse-back transportation on dirt roads. There are a number of surrounding burgs that are untouched by tourist dollars and the resort itself is just far enough away from town that it hasn’t developed as a gingerbread Alpine replica.
- Park City, Utah – Park City is quite different than the first two on the list. With such close proximity to a major metropolis and being a bonafied classic ski Mecca it is busy and rapidly developing. And hosting the Olympics doesn’t help. But even with all this, restrictions against chain businesses and other preservation efforts have left Park City relatively in tact. Amazingly, it wasn’t long ago that Park City appeared on a registry of American ghost towns.
- Breckenridge, Colorado – With the high traffic of Summit and Eagle counties towns like Frisco, Dillon and Vail have sprawled out with strip malls, gas stations and chain restaurants and no longer bare resemblance to their former days. But Breckenridge has somehow kept its original character and is still one of America’s first ski towns.
- Big Sky, Montana -Number 5 is where I started running out of ideas. I’ve heard great things about the original ski destinations like Sun Valley or Taos but I just haven’t been to them. Big Sky comes next on my list for the simple fact that it’s the destination you’re most likely to hit a deer driving to, that evening entertainment is a Bud at the bar with true locals and where breakfast is wild boar pate on toast. Even their local celebrity is everyone’s favorite redneck billionaire Ted Turner.
Up next: Charm
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