Mixed Bag

I've come across a few articles in the last couple of days that I wanted to post and comment on. First, is this one, on using HDR and tonemapping techniques in photography.

To a certain extent I agree with the author. HDR (I think tonemapped is a better term for what he describes) images show up everywhere and it is becoming apparent that this technique is becoming a band-aid for fixing any image that hasn't been correctly exposed or was taken in poor lighting. Photomatix and PS CS5 make it easy to do, and hobbyists are using it as much as pros. I agree that there are images that are painful to look at because of its overuse. And, he is correct that incorporating better technique would eliminate much of the need for tonemapping.

That being said, I would be surprised if the author would reject the use of an on camera flash or tweaking sharpness in PS, so am curious why he would oppose the judicious use of tonemapping in images. It is a tool, just like any other, that can be used well and create beautiful images, or can be abused. Swearing it off totally doesn't solve the problem.

Many of the commenters to the article make good arguments for the limited use of HDR. One I would put forth is that on occasion it allows a photographer to adjust an image so that it more accurately reflects what her or she saw when capturing the image. Ansel Adams did it through dodging and burning. HDR is just another tool at our disposal, albeit one that needs to be used sensibly.

The next article is this one, on the subject of becoming a fan of other photographers' work.

I am a strong proponent of looking at images captured by other photographers, and even expanding that into enjoying visual art in all its forms, painting, sculpture, etc. That is the idea behind the Feature Professional posts I have done in the past (and hope to start doing again soon). A big part of my learning photography is seeing what others are doing and working from it. Besides being fun, looking at other people's work is a great way to see what is possible. As often as not I come away from looking at good images and wonder how (both technically and creatively) someone was able to capture it. Take time to trawl flickr and similar sites. They are full of gems.

The third article is this one, on using the rule of thirds.

Not much commentary here, other than to say it is always good to remember the basics. You can't break rules effectively until you understand them. Breaking a rule you don't know or understand isn't breaking it at all. Not all photos need to be composed according to the rule of thirds, but we all benefit by keeping it in mind as we compose our images, whether we decide to abide by it or not.