[Ps3737]

I have been quite impressed by my first attempts at using the HDR exposure on the K-7 in bright/high contrast lighting. I am covering a wedding soon and the young couple are after a "modern" look and I am going to try shooting some HDR examples for them to see about including it in some the staged photographs with the bridal party. Has anyone any examples to show? Or experience in using it good or bad? Obviously reatining detail in the white wedding dress is absolutely essential, and the on-board HDR seems to protect the highlights very well - and the event is likely to be on a bright hot day as it is mid summer down here in the southern hemisphere.

Mark

[pasipasi]

You'd have to have them stay very still. Even the slightest movement will show in images.

[rfortson]

You'd have to have them stay very still. Even the slightest movement will show in images.

Agreed. I don't think you'll get good results.

[ma318]

For getting the HDR look of moving subjects, I found the following trick kind of work for me.

1) take a single shot in raw with no exposure compensation
2) with your raw converter, generate three jpg photos with one at -2EV and one at +2EV and one at normal.
3) use photomatix (or whatever HDR software you have) to combine them as an HDR image, turning the saturation up will give you that HDR look

Now if you only want to use the HDR feature in your K7, then I agree with the other posters that you may have problem getting good results with potentially moving subject. Your subject could have moved a bit in each of the bracketed shots and the camera may have trouble lining them up to generate the HDR version.

Moved to DSLR forum

[Ps3737]

Yes - I will be planning on using a tripod for the HDR shots as I have found even hand-holding at 1/500 still yields fuzzy results.

[Jasvox]

Just shoot in raw and you can stack images or merge same image at different exposures if you want an extended range effect. Shooting in the HDR will be a disaster...no one will want to wait on you to shoot three shots with zero movement for each photo, at their wedding.

Jason

[Nass]

Just shoot in raw and you can stack images or merge same image at different exposures if you want an extended range effect. Shooting in the HDR will be a disaster...no one will want to wait on you to shoot three shots with zero movement for each photo, at their wedding.

Jason

would tend to agree with that. Maybe the wedding cake will have the patience neccessary but people - no =)

[paulelescoces]

You may be able to do some HDR shots of the location... the cake... and other things that dont move... if lighting is decent you can even do this quite successfully handheld... (use either Photoshop or Photomatix to align for slight movement)

If you try and do HDR with people I can only see it ending in a disaster... people will not keep still and you will end with significant ghosting in the resulting image... even a Tripod cannot make people freeze while you fire of the 3/5 shots.

for People shots... MA318s suggestion is a good one... I have done many times, as long as your starting image (RAW) is well exposed you can get very decent results... I would maybe suggest smaller EV steps however (1EV steps rather than 2) as you are working from a single raw you are more likely to clip the image... you can play with this... worst case scenario is that you are left with the original well exposed image as the HDR did not work out.... as long as the image is well exposed you can likely bring out the dress details etc... with some simple post processing.