This is where Hugin comes in.  I stumbled upon this awkwardly named (did I mention free) program while searching through a variety of open source photography software.  It is a very cool and very capable photo stitcher that did an excellent job merging the test images I tried.  The idea behind photo or image stitching is a simple one.  Basically, a bunch of photographs with overlapping views are taken and merged together to form a single more detailed image.  Image stitching programs can accomplish this because they look at the matching features (from the overlapped sections) to determine how the separate images should be pieced together and how best to blend the different images to get a convincing end result.

Photo stitching isn’t perfect, but it does yield some amazingly detailed images without having to own a medium format camera.

Here are a few tips for better panoramas:

1. Shoot in manual and keep the exposure fixed, this will prevent the camera’s meter from being tricked and will make for a more natural blending.
2. Keep the camera level as you rotate it through the scene, try to use a bubble level or specially designed ball head for best results.
3. I usually try to overlap at least a 1/3 of the frame from one image to the next.
4. Remove any polarizing filters, these filters are influenced by the sun’s direction and will create weird looking skies as you rotate the camera.
5. Use a shutter release to prevent camera shake.
6. Shoot around the nodal point of your lens (if you can) to prevent parallax errors.
7. Frame to shoot a little extra  around the borders of the image in case you need to crop things later.
8. Use a sturdy tripod and visualize the final image before you begin shooting.

You don’t need to follow all these tips, but it will help get a better looking merged image.

Once you have your images, fire up Hugin and get stitching by placing your own control points (similar features between overlapping images) and then optimizing your output.  To be honest it actually took me a while to figure out why I could get anything to work in Hugin.  Part of the problem is that Hugin doesn’t come with its own automatic control point generator and if you don’t want the tedious task of matching points by hand, you need to download another (free) program like panomatic or autopano-sift-c and tell Hugin where to find it.

Telling Hugin where to find automatic control point generator

Once I figured this out, everything went smoothly and I was amazed at how natural the results looked.  No matter how hard I looked I could find the tell-tale seams of a merged image.  Hugin also incorporates and number of other benefits like creating HDR images and offering a variety of different blending options.  Here is a quick example of a stitched image made from only three frames of a Canon 5D.  Even here the extra detail is evident.

Here is a crop from the same image.

You can only imagine if this had been a twenty image stitch instead.

This brings me to the other, equally daunting, problem of capturing details in the shadows and highlights of contrasty outdoor scenes.  Modern camera sensors are very good but they still can’t equal the human eye when it comes to dynamic range.  I talked about this earlier, and basically I was unimpressed with the different tone-mapping software that I tried.  I felt that it was too easy to get strange halos, artifacts, and unnatural looking images.  Especially true in scenes where there was slight movement, which makes shooting HDR water images a pain.  I also wrote about a process in photoshop of merging differently exposed layers into a more natural looking image.  It looked nice but the process was messy and tedious.

After a little searching, I found my new favorite method of conquering contrast in a program known as Enfuse.  Enfuse is a command-line program that tries to merge different exposures of the same scene to create an image that looks similar to a tone-mapped one but without the halos or the need to create an intermediate HDR image.  This “exposure fusion” seems to give me a much more natural look and works by placing emphasis on merging  the properly exposed parts of each exposure.

Since I use a PC and don’t have Lightroom (there is an enfuse plugin for it), the best option out there is a program called EnfuseGUI.  This small open source program creates a much needed graphical interface for the enfuse program, and works amazingly well.  Choosing the right parameters can be something of a challenge, but the handy preview button gives a good idea of what to expect.

I find that the Enfused images look more contrasty and natural than a tone-mapped one, with only sometimes the highlights being slightly overexposed.  If I have a difficult scene I’ll use the different exposures as layers with masks in Photoshop to tweak the base Enfused image slightly.  It’s a nice solution for controlling contrast.  Here are a few examples all made with EnfuseGUI.

As you can see, if you have the time and like experimenting, Hugin and Enfuse are definitely worth looking into.

It is especially easy to fall victim to these ruts when you already know your way around a camera and your photography habits have begun to solidify.  Beginning photographers, on the other hand, also face the same tough conditions, they just don’t care.  Every chance to shoot, no matter what the weather or conditions, is seen as a chance to experiment and learn about the photographic process.  Starting out, I too spent hours walking around my backyard shooting everything I could find.  It is almost embarrassing to admit how many cat photos I have.  The point is, I didn’t try to make every image a masterpiece, I just wanted to shoot.  Sometimes as our skill develops we forget that feeling, getting frustrated when things don’t work like we planned.

A few years ago I tried to shoot the amazing poppy fields of central California.  I researched the best place (Antelope Valley) and the best time to go.  The flowers start to bloom over the course of a few weeks, with only a few peak days each year (assuming there is enough rain).  Impatiently, I watched internet sites, read reports, and tried to pick the moment when the bloom was at its best.  Finally it was.  I packed my gear and drove throughout the night.  Finally, as the sun began to rise I arrived at the field.  I stepped from my car, and was buffeted by a cold whipping wind.  The delicate flowers were closed, and I was very frustrated.  What should have a perfect day of shooting became one of frustration.

Days like that will always happen.  Now, however, I realize that with a little experimentation they don’t all need to be unproductive.  Here are a few examples of making something out of nothing.  The key is to remember that any day you can pick up a camera to shoot; it’s a good one.

Examples:

I shot this photograph well after the sun had gone down in Joshua Tree National Park.  Originally, I had gone to the park to photograph some of the interesting rock formations during sunset.  Unfortunately, an heavy traffic and an accident derailed my plans.  I arrived at the park just as the sun dipped below the horizon, but instead of heading home I pulled a heavy-duty flashlight from my car and began experimenting.

This image of Split Rock is one of my favorite from that night.  The yellow glow was from a lantern wedged into the boulder’s base.  It took a lot of experimenting to get the right exposure and composition, but the end result was worth it.  It is a photograph I probably wouldn’t have taken if things had gone as planned.

That disastrous flower trip I already talked about… well it did let me take some abstract flower images.  Here is one where I used the wind and a slow shutter speed to get a photograph of how it “felt” to be standing in a field of blowing poppies.

Sometimes going out with a clear mind can lead to interesting images.  Here is a recent photograph taken during a day trip along the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego.

As you can see this image isn’t exactly a work of art, instead it looks like your typical mid-day coastal scene.  However, after taking this shot I remembered I had a 8 stop neutral density filter in my camera bag.  Since I didn’t know when I would be coming back here (hopefully for a sunset shot), I put the filter on and added a little pizazz to the scene.

The slower shutter made for a more interesting scene, and I had fun experimenting with it.  Just by adding a filter I was able to rejuvenate my creative impulses and create a decent image.

An outdoor photographer will always have difficult days.  It comes with the territory.  I do hope, however, that these examples illustrate how these “bad” conditions can be turned into opportunities.  It just takes changing your expectations.

Ian

Let me begin by saying I don’t shoot many HDR (High Dynamic Range) images so this little article is written with that in mind.  I also have a tendency to skip over most software instructions that don’t have nice photos or a scratch-and-sniff section, so keep that in mind too.

What I do know is that one of the main challenges facing nature photographers is dealing with scenes that have a large dynamic range.  Because our pupils and chemistry actively adjust to different conditions, our eyes can see a huge range of illumination (around 20 stops).  Unfortunately for us, digital cameras are much more limited with the typical sensor capturing about 9 stops.  What does this mean?

Basically, if you’re trying to shoot a scene that has both bright and dark areas, there’s going to be trouble.  Either the highlights get washed out and overexposed, or the shadows drop into inky blackness.  This isn’t a new problem however, and ever since that “prehistoric” medium called film was used, there have been ways to cope.  When I used to shoot medium format slide film, each frame ended up costing me a couple dollars to shoot and develop.  With little room for error, I began using a variety of neutral graduated filters to hold back the sky’s brightness and make the contrast range more manageable.  These rectangular filters worked well but were a pain to use.  With the rise in digital there came better (I think) and easier ways to cope with difficult scenes.

I’m not a photoshop wizard, but I’ve found that by bracketing a tough shot (under and over-exposing), I am able to keep the details in both the sky and foreground.  When an image does need help, I  bring the underexposed image in as a layer (over the one that was correctly exposed for the foreground) and mask the sky’s details (from the underexposed shot) onto the original photo with the gradient tool.  It is a rough and quick way of expanding the displayed contrast range in the final image, and often gives very nice results (similar to using a graduated filter with film).

The one problem with this technique is that it lacks finesse.  If the horizon has important elements jutting above it, a tree or mountains for instance, then they too will go dark along with the sky.  This is where dedicated programs designed for HDR imaging come in.  The slew of new programs out there now are amazingly powerful.  They are capable of improving local contrast, merging a large number of different exposures, and creating some remarkable results.

I’m too stupid to use most of them properly.

I did, however, stumble through a few different HDR programs over the course of a boring afternoon to see which software gave the easiest and best results.  What follows is not a comprehensive look at all the HDR options or techniques.  I’m sure that I’ve forgot to tweak some setting or missed others altogether.  Instead, look at this as a comparison for how easy it is for a relative newcomer to open a few exposures and spit out a nice HDR photo.

Photomatix:

I actually just bought this program about a week ago, and playing around with the different settings spurred my interest in more complex HDR imaging.  From what I’ve seen on the web, Photomatix seems to be the “one” when it comes to increasing the dynamic range of photographs.

Things seem relatively simple to start, just drag some similar photos with different exposures in, and it renders a HDR preview.Clicking on the tone mapping option brings you to the heart of the program where most of the different options hide.  This is where I had my first difficulties with Photomatix.   Suddenly, I was confronted with a host of new sliders and choices.  Some of them looked familiar, some did similar things, and some just confused me.

Here is an example of how it looks:

It’s a confusing but complete set of options, not the easiest thing for a first timer to learn.  As you can see, some of the basic settings did give a nice result without too much work.  I’ve found that the strength, color saturation, and smoothing options had a big effect on how natural the tone mapped image looked.  Unfortunately, Photomatix wasn’t the fastest at rendering previews which was a minor annoyance.

Here is a test image of a subject I typically shoot.  You can see how the rising sun and dark rocks, which would be impossible to capture with one exposure, ended up looking nice with only minor adjustments in Photoshop after saving in Photomatix.

It was only when I zoomed in that I noticed some problems.  There was a weird ghosting on some rocks in the water and a nasty bright rim around some objects.

The ghosting was due to the water moving over the rocks between shots and I have a feeling would have been evened out more if I plugged more than two bracketed images into Photomatix.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other images of this scene so I was stuck with this after my first attempt.

Overall I do like Photomatix.  The ability to tweak a range of options would be very useful if you shoot a lot of HDR and got familiar with the work flow.  For me, however, it seemed a little unintuitive and slow.  There was also some funky image artifacts I couldn’t get rid of.  I haven’t given up on Photomatix yet, especially with the LSD/dreamy images it can create, but it did cause me to look into other options.

Picturenaut 3.0:

I gotta say that I’ve always been a big supporter of open source and freely available software.  It’s nice for users and promotes more of an unrestricted flow of ideas.  Picturenaut is an example of really nice “donationware” that is available free on the HDRlabs.com website (a lot of nice info there too).  Before I go further, I did also try the open source program Luminance HDR .  I thought the program was very capable, just not polished and somewhat confusing (more for those experienced in HDR).

The first thing that struck me about Picturenaut 3.0 was how simple and quick the interface was.  It started similarly to Photomatix, by selecting two (or more) differently exposed images, choosing “standard” response curve (worked best for me), and generating a HDR preview image.  The initially HDR image looked usable already, but clicking “dynamic compression” button brought up a new preview and some similar tone-mapping options.

As you can see, the layout is less cluttered than Photomatix and the settings seem a little more logical (at least for me).  One really nice thing about Picturenaut, is how quickly it previews any changes (thanks to its multi-threaded architecture) with the ability to rapidly  zoom in or out of the image.  There are several “methods” you can choose from with each technique having its own set of variables to tweak.  I found the Adaptive Logarithmic or Bilateral to give the best results.  I also like the ability to adjust the histogram and individual color channels, something I’m familiar with from Photoshop.

I realized after the fact that the water and sky are a little too funky, something easily changed with another attempt (although some may like the surreal look).  More importantly, Picturenaut seemed to do a very nice job with blending problems along the water line.  There still were some issues, but not nearly as apparent as other programs I tried.  The highlights do seem unnatural and featureless though, but that could be the settings I used.

Picturenaut 3.0 is a very capable and very nice (free!) program.  It’s quick, does a nice job blending images, and was simple enough for me to muck through it without much pain.  It is certainly a good choice for making quick HDR images, but like with Photomatix, I struggle to get the program to do everything I wanted.

Fumbling around with Photoshop:

Photoshop is like an onion.  Every time I use it there seems to be another layer of tools and techniques to learn.  It is a program that is both amazingly complex and powerful, with an endless variety of ways to get to the same result.  I did try Photoshop’s automatic “merge to HDR” and didn’t like it.  This is instead a technique my addled brain picked-up from random internet tidbits and a lot of trial and error.  It also seems to give me the most intuitive control and the best (natural) looking results.  Once I got the hang of it, doing it in photoshop is almost as fast as the other programs.

First I opened the same two raw files used in the other programs.

After bringing up the shadows slightly in the underexposed image, I open both raw files as smart objects (hold shift while opening raw files).  I then drag the “darker” (underexposed) smart object onto the “brighter” (overexposed) smart object.  Hold shift when you release the layer to keep the images aligned.

After dragging the darker layer over I make a copy of the original brighter layer and move the copy on top of the dark layer.  I know it sounds confusing, but basically the dark layer which was exposed for detail in the sky, is sandwiched between two layers exposed for the foreground.

Next click on the top brighter layer and go to Select—>Color Range.  Click on the brightest part of the image (usually the sun), turn localized color clusters to on, click invert selection, and a fuzziness around 100-150.  After you do all this click on the add layer mask button and Photoshop should create a mask from your selection.  At this point if my convoluted instructions haven’t melted your brain, then you’re doing better than me.

This is what the image looks like now (each situation looks a little different initially, the key is getting familiar with the right settings).  At this stage the mask is basically revealing the darker sky from the middle layer while keeping the rocks bright and noise-free.  If you get to this point and the image looks bad or flat, you can play with the opacity of the top two layers, try to reselect with a different fuzziness for the layer mask, or open the smart objects in raw and adjust exposure there to see what happens.  Usually it only takes a few adjustments to get things looking good.

After getting a general image that looks nice, I zoom in to 100 percent, highlight the mask, and turn to the edge refining option.  This is the most useful part of this technique since it lets me feather, shrink, expand, or smooth out the mask.  Usually, I shrink and feather the selection slightly, doing it a few times or until transition zones and highlighted edges look more natural.

Another nice thing about this technique is the ability to go back into the raw and adjust each layer for chromatic aberrations, a common problem with HDR imaging.  It may seem complex but this method worked wonders for me and definitely looks the most natural and intuitive for my way of working.

Here is the final result

Here is a crop along the water’s edge.

Notice how the highlights look more natural and have detail, the rocks and water look nice and crisp without any ghosting, and the color didn’t go crazy.  I’m still refining this technique, but so far it is the only one I’d use for serious work.

Conclusion:

I want to say that each program I tried was impressive in its own way.  This little experiment also made me realize just how complex HDR imaging can get and how far we’ve moved from slapping a graduated filter in front of a lens.  As in life, there is no one way to make an HDR image, and I hope that this little article takes away a little of the fear and gets people thinking about this unique tool.  I know that this is something that can open a wide range of shooting conditions and I will definitely be experimenting with it more in the future.

If anyone has any suggestions or settings on how to use these or other HDR programs, send them my way.  I’d love to post a follow up and figure out what I was doing wrong.

Ian

This is the first in a series of mini-articles on topics that interest me and may help others discover some of the ins and outs of nature photography.  I’d like to think that I know a good deal about photography, but fishing taught me at an early age the benefits of keeping an open mind.  Too often a finicky brown trout has turned down a “perfectly” tied fly delivered with a “perfect” cast for me to get too excited about thinking I had things figured out.  Photography is the same way and if anyone would like to share a better or different take on something I say feel free to let me know (the same goes for secret fishing spots in San Diego).

Shooting in Tough Conditions:

In a perfect world all outdoor photography would take place during amazing sunsets with glowing light and dramatic skies.  Unfortunately, most people (myself included) are forced to take photographs when their schedule allows.  This means that there are three weather conditions which will make photography amazingly frustrating, and are almost impossible to avoid.

Sunny Conditions:

Sunny days may seem like ideal times to shoot.  The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and animals often become more active in warmer weather.  The problem with shooting on bright clear days lies with the sun’s harshness and intensity.  Our eyes can see an amazing range of luminance in a scene, in fact our dynamic range is much higher than any sensors and it is this difference that can lead to problems.

Today’s modern sensors are amazing.  Their color reproduction, ease of use, and dynamic range all blow away the slide film I used before; however even the best sensors will have trouble in bright conditions when there are contrasty scenes.  To avoid problems I’ve learned to look for certain compositions that work well on sunny days.

Do Shoot:

• Look up- this is a simple one but often great images can be made by looking up through a tree canopy.  Noon light will filter through the leaves and really make them pop, you can also use the tree limbs to hide a direct view of the sun.
• Backlighting and Silhouettes- If you can’t beat the dark shadows and blown highlights try to use them to make interesting silhouettes.  Also backlighting (experiment with the angle of the sun behind the object) can lead to a nice separation of the subject and background.  Often a little fill flash will open too dark shadows.
• Water- Don’t be afraid to shoot water on sunny days, especially if you can get the angle right for some nice reflections.  Here a circular polarizer is a must for controlling just how much reflection you want.  Bright reflections in shadowed areas can give really nice results.

• Flowers with Diffusers- I always carry a small folding 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser.  Flowers can make for great photos but direct sun is often too harsh to highlight the delicate parts of the plant.  Instead use a diffuser to get a nice even soft light that will compliment the subject.  A folding one takes up little room and can also block the wind if you need it to.
• Open Spaces- If you’ve ever looked at a postcard rack you’ll notice that most of the photographs were taken on bright sunny days.  It’s because sunny photos imply happy moments, and people are drawn to them.  Open landscapes can make good mid-day subjects since dark shadows and harsh highlights are minimized in the photo and not as distracting.  The wider the better.
• Sky Shots- Bright blue skies and clouds can often make interesting “cloudscapes” and shouldn’t be ignored.
• HDR- High Dynamic Range shots I think are often over done, but by shooting separate images for the shadows and highlights you can get images that would be impossible otherwise.  Just make sure that the end result looks natural.

Don’t Shoot:

• Streams and Forests- I know this sounds crazy, but on bright sunny days shooting streams and forests creates an exposure nightmare.  The understory will be black and often any foaming water will be blown out.  Better to wait for some clouds or softer light.

• People- Shooting people in strong light will lead to deep shadows, especially under the eyes.  It’s better to shoot in a more directional morning or late afternoon light.
• Flowers/Delicate Subjects- Again the light will be too harsh.  Delicate details on flowers will be lost and colors that wont look as nice with the glare.

Windy Conditions:

Wind, as I realized from a recent trip to Maine, can be a major pain in the butt when taking photographs.  I love shooting during the periods of low light, either right before sunset or at sunrise, and this means using a tripod and exposing from half a second to several minutes.  This also means that any vibrations, such as wind beating against the camera, will cause severe image degradation.  Luckily there are some things that can be shot without too much hair pulling.

Do Shoot:

• Abstract Wind- Wind can be one of the hardest things to convey in a still photograph.  This also means that if done right you can get some really unique images.  When things are really blowing, like on this trip to a poppy field in California, I look for compositions and colors that would make a good abstraction.  Try shooting from 1/4 sec or longer and check the LCD until you get a nice image.

• Distant Landscapes- Landscapes in good light can be photographed easily as long as most of the moving things in the image are kept relatively small, and shutter speeds don’t dip too low.
• Structures- Buildings, bridges, monuments etc.. aren’t going anywhere even when it get really windy.
• Sheltered Areas- One of the best things to do when it gets really windy is to look for sheltered areas around where you want to shoot.  Sometimes this can be a nook in a rock wall or the leeward side of your car, anything to break the direct flow of the wind.  Often getting low to the ground can help or using your body as a shield during long exposures.
• Flying Birds- Make sure your shutter speed is high enough and look for birds taking off or flying (usually take off against the wind).
• Multiple Exposures- Sometimes when all else fails I’ll hand-hold the camera, brace myself, and shoot in bursts.  Usually in a burst of 5 shots there will be one or two that are sharp and not effected by wind or vibrations.
• Lulls- Wind has a tendency to blow in gusts, sometimes ripping your hat off and sometimes a light breeze.  Try to anticipate when the wind will ease and shoot like crazy during the calm moments.

Don’t Shoot:

• Things that Move- By this I mean things that can move but which you want still.  A bird resting on a branch may make a great photo as long as it’s not bobbing up and down in a gust of wind.  Macros of insects and plants can be especially difficult where a half an inch makes a huge difference.
• Delicate Things- Objects with fine detail or which are small, will be extremely susceptible to wind movement.  Shooting a spider web or flower could drive anyone insane.
• Long Exposure Landscapes- This is probably the hardest one for me, especially since I like to shoot at small apertures and in low light.  Here any vibration will ruin an image and rob it of needed sharpness.  Boosting the ISO, using a sturdy carbon fiber tripod, and shooting at a faster shutter speed can sometimes help.

Rainy Conditions:

Somehow rain always seems to follow me when I’m out camping or on vacation.  It also has a habit of ruining gear (buy a raincover) and making shots difficult to get.  Skies look dull and standing in damp socks can be miserable.  However, gloomy days open up a whole range of new photographic opportunities if you can stay dry and find the right subjects.

Do Shoot:

• Forests- On sunny days shooting a forest can be impossible.  The bright sky and dark shadows make for images that don’t translate well in the camera.  On rainy or overcast days the contrast range is much lower and the sky acts like a giant softbox.  Details in the leaves and bark are much easier to record, but use a polarizer to cut the glare on the leaves.
• Things Without Sky- The one main problem (besides wet underwear) with rainy and overcast days is the bland and featureless sky.  To get around this look for different subjects or compositions that minimize the sky in the image.
• Macro- The sky’s softbox effect means shooting smaller subjects and their delicate details is much easier to do.  Look for dew drops, flowers, forest details, or in this case a group of barnacles and mussels who’s contrast range would have been to high on a sunny day.

• Streams- This is probably the number one thing that I like to photograph when it’s rainy outside.  Usually the moving water and dark rocks of most streams makes shooting them during a sunny day impossible, the scene ends up looking too harsh.  Instead use the soft light of an overcast day to shoot your favorite stream and get the slower shutter speeds you want.  Try to keep any distracting sky out of the image.

• Clearing Storms- If it’s raining it means eventually it has to stop.  Clearing clouds can be some of the most dramatic so look for breaks in the weather and set yourself up for some nice landscape shots.

Don’t Shoot:

• Sky- I’ve already mentioned how ugly the sky can look on dreary days, but again if possible avoid shooting the sky.  Part of the problem is that the sky is often featureless or ends up a nasty overexposed white.  In either case it isn’t very interesting.

• Wildlife- Shooting animals during a rainy day can often be miserable, and getting a fast enough shutter speed in subdued light is often a challenge.
• Sunsets/Sunrises- This seems obvious but rainy days means no sun, no sun means no exciting sunrises or sunset.  If it’s that overcast gloom that seems to stick around for days, skip sunset and dry off at home instead.
• Postcard Shots- You’re probably not going to get any great sweeping landscape shots with a nice sun and happy clouds (like in a postcard).  Instead focus on details and how the place makes you feel, often these images will be more interesting.

Conclusion:

Hopefully if you’ve read this it will take some of the guess work out of shooting in tough conditions.  This is meant as a general guide, but as with many things there are always exceptions.  In fact breaking the rules is part of learning, and often yields amazing photographs.  It’s a matter of getting out and shooting.

Ian