High Dynamic Range (HDR)

High Dynamic Range or HDR is a technique that I've learned since I started getting involved with photography. Depending on how to tone mapped the HDR images, the outcome varies, be it a subtle effect or a dramatic effect. Some like it subtle, maintaining the photo-like appearance, while other prefer a more dramatic effect, which makes the photo look like a painting. Either way, it all comes down to personal preferences. 

There are several HDR generation software that can be used to produce the HDR effect. A popular one is the Photomatix (I use this). Photoshop also has the HDR creation function. Personally, I find the Photomatix easier to use.

In order to produce a HDR image, one will need to identify which shots suits best to be processed in HDR. For me, the following types of shots are suitable to be processed in HDR,

1. A shot that shows a lot of details, be it an old rusty fire hydrant, architectural details, etc.

2. A shot that contains a wide tonal range. Example, have you ever shot a landscape only to get an underexposed foreground or a blown sky? Well, that's a good candidate for HDR.

3. A shot that involves metallic materials, ie. vehicles, metal structures, shiny things.

Don't rule out another potential HDR shot, which is the combination of 2 or 3 of the types mentioned above.

In this post, I'm sharing some HDR images that I have processed showing architectural details of a building. This building is the Morrocco's House, located at the Putrajaya Botanical Garden, Malaysia.

Malacca Zoo = SUPERB!

Last time I mentioned that we're going to raid the Malacca Zoo. We as in, myself, zio, macropixman and liewwk. Armed with our tele lenses, we left KL around 7.30am. After a decent sized breakfast, we found ourselves at the entrance of the zoo. Entrance fee is RM7, not bad. Stepped in, and we saw the parrots (macaw). We put on our gears, and the rest was history..

'Blue and Yellow Macaw'


'Black on White'


'Movie star'


'The Stare'


'The Chosen One'


'Baby G'


'Spikes of Trouble'

I loved all the shots I managed to take in this session, but the best shot (in my view) for me was this shot.

'Unconditional Love'

The shot depicts an unconditional love of a mother. The emotion portrayed by the mother, with her eyes closed, shows that sense of calmness in providing her child with the basic necessity, security and food. The child, on the other hand, with eyes wide open while breastfeeding, shows its curiosity, daringness to try and naughtiness of a young child, totally opposite of what is being portrayed by the mother.

In summary, Zoo Melaka was awesome! All animals seemed healthier and well fed, in comparison the the ones kept in Zoo Negara. We spent the whole day there (10am-6pm), and still missed on a few notable animals, ie. elephants. :P We will be back, for sure..