IDHDR–the confessions of a former HDR reluctant

No, don’t look at the title, and leave. Just because every Google+ photographer seems to have a fetish for HDR doesn’t make this current vogue or passé.
I’ve previously recoiled a bit from HDR. Trey Ratliff has been the sifu and legendary evangelist of HDR and some of his works are exemplary, not just in HDR but in wide angle lens compositions. But as with anything if you see too much of that, you get jaded. And I am seeing too much of the dramatically emphasised tone mapped HDR the past month at G+.
I’ve tried HDR – the Photomatix way. The EasyHDR way. The Dynamic Photo HDR way. They’ve all been klutzy. Really, taking the time to shoot at least 3 shots. Coming back to the computer to blend them. No, I won’t use Photoshop super alignment whizzo. I’m about as keen to Photoshop anything as plucking my eyebrows.
In-Device HDR, on the other hand, I’m recently more than happy with. My Samsung Galaxy S (Android) phone-cam has an easy no brainer app HDR Camera+ – costs heaps, all of AUD 2.82 – yes, I haven’t made a mistake with the decimal point. You point, you hold steady for 3 clicks, and that’s about it. You can even post up to Google+ or Facebook. The small sensor phone-cam really benefits from extending the handling of dynamic range – skies improve instead of being dead white.

Rob and Rae's big Eucalypt at sunset – a tough shot in view of the shadows




Early morning at the Monash Staff Development Unit on Wellington Road with deep shadows and bright, bright happy but cold sun.

And then, there’s Black and White

For a long time, I didn’t get any joy out of black and white shots in the digital Bayer colour sensor era, with LCD screens. I didn’t get the drama that I wanted, the depth of tones in monochrome that I visualised.
Not that I did that well in the film days. I used several films but my favourite turned out to be Agfapan 100 processed in Rodinal. Or was it Neofin Blau?
Seeing the picture was an issue with black and white. I guess I dream in colour and that hampers my recognition of what the panchromatic translations would yield, days after the fact.
With the Olympus PEN E-PL1, I’m on a new adventure. I can see, in Liveview and in different aspect ratios, the gritty black and white that I almost like (well, it’s better than most of the bland monchromatic transformations). It’s not that I can’t get one good monochrome shot, once in a while, it’s just that I don’t get one regularly.
Victory with Kodak V705

Discarded Shoes with the Samsung Galaxy S

Fellini with the Olympus C-750uz

Enchanted with the PEN E-PL1

Living with an Android

I had the Olympus PEN E-PL1 (painful suffix that, have to press a bunch of keys to PL1 – there, did it again) but not on me (so to speak). Knox City is a mecca for the middle class raising-a-family and teens-wanna-have-fun-and-grow-up crowd, yet No Photography rules all over the Ozone.

But I had the Samsung Galaxy S in my pocket when I encountered this gorgeous Red Vespa. Unfortunately on the way in, the 8%$@ phone was frozen again, doing some data sync and presumably consuming 100% CPU – darn poor Process Priority “Give” and unpredictable app startups. Went into Teds, Harvey Norman’s, had a KFC (yes, I knoooow!), bought some nice big chestnuts and a $19 pair of Logitech 2.1 computer speakers (they’re cheap but no Creative mid-range sweetness at all).

Anyway, second chance, the Vespa had not moved, so put down the Logitech box, chestnuts, fired up the Vignette Android App (paid version). Just love the Red.

Isn’t this just like, cool?

And just one more

Taking photos with whatever you have

I’m glad Robin takes time away from his E-5 to “smell the flowers”, see what else he can do. He had a bit of fun with his phone cam, a Nokia.

My Nokia E-71 as a camera was and is, really hopeless. Really hopeless. It may not may not have good image quality but I would never know. It would emit a loud synthesised audio click but then, much later, when my hand moved away, the camera would actually record the image. There was a macro mode but it didn’t get very macro-ey. In short, that phone cam just refused to perform it’s cam duties properly.

My Samsung Galaxy S can still be recalcitrant, but it more often, does perform as instructed. The only thing is, I must always remember to rub the lens port – somehow it has the habit of collecting every bit of finger grease in its idle time.

I still carry my Kodak V-705 for those wide angle moments and when I remember to, but the convenience and availability of the phone-cam, one that works as a cam, is satisfying.

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