The HDR Photo Difference

By Wesley Fryer On December 22, 2010 · · 3 Comments

The iPhone 4 camera includes an optional HDR capability, which (according to the English Wikipedia) is:

…is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The following two photos, which I took last Friday at the UCO Center for Transformative Learning, demonstrate the benefits of HDR well. HDR is particularly helpful when photographing scenes with extreme light contrasts.

Without HDR:

With HDR:

I am convinced my iPhone4 is the best camera I’ve ever owned. Since it’s small it’s always with me to use when needed. It can take still images or video. It lets me edit images on the go using a variety of applications, and (if desired) readily share those images with others in a variety of ways. The HDR capability lets me capture images in transformative ways: Ways I couldn’t without the powerful computer hardware and software it makes available in my hands. The Pano app also enables transformative photography.

Turn on HDR on your iPhone4 by clicking the HDR icon at the top of the viewfinder. The label shows the current HDR status. In the example below, HDR is turned on.

In the camera preferences, choose whether you want the camera to save both the original photo and the HDR enhanced image to your photo roll. I prefer this choice, to keep the “normal photo,” so I can compare it with the HDR version later and decide which one to keep.