Backyard irHDR

Backyard irHDR, originally uploaded by Venn Diagram.

I've been shooting a bit more HDR recently, but I realised it's a while since I cracked open the IR filter in my bag. That leads me to the though of "what happens if I take multiple IR exposures and then combine them into an HDR?". I can hear the groans already of the people who don't like HDR, and they're possibly right - the result is odd, to say the least. It's taken out through the back of the house, with a Hoya R72 filter on my 50mm prime, eight images with changes to the shutter speed not the apeture. Combined them all in Photomatix with a bit of tweaking and then that's about it (border added in Photoshop - I like a border on my shots).

I know there are a number of immediate problems with this shot - the reflections in the glass, the less than inspiring composition, but I was in the mood to play with the technique, not go driving off to find an inspirational subject, just for it to turn out pants.

On a filter related note, last time I posted and IR shot, someone raised the issue that filters cost around £200 and it wasn't worth it - it's true that if you want to stick one of these on a 77mm threaded lens (like my Sigma 10-20mm), then you'll be looking around the £150 mark. However, you can get one for a kit-lens fitting around the £30-40 mark.