
Family of Elephants
Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa
As this family of elephants walked past us we were ever aware of the impending sunset. I took many photos of the elephants but what stood out were the ones with the leading elephant giving himself a dust bath as the sunset backlit the puff of serengeti ash. It’s these moments that I get very excited, the low golden light is paramount in photographing anything from wildlife and landscapes to portraits. This is where I knew I could get a stunning environmental portrait of this family, scenery and a sunset scene all in one. The major technical problem is the wide tonal range I was trying to capture: the bright highlights of the sun, clouds and landscape to the dark shadows of the elephants and foreground. This would be too much for my camera to take in all at once. I turned on the auto bracketing and multi burst shooting mode on my camera, holding down my shutter I rapidly fired off three exposures, one over exposed by two stops, one with normal exposure and he last under exposed. The three images combined provided me with an extra wide tonal range that captured everything I was looking at, this is what’s known as HDR, or High Dynamic Range. After firing off a few shots I thought, “I just +Trey Ratcliff ed it”.
Manual HDR version, click to enlarge:
Even before this I have already accepted HDR images as a legitimate photographic technique. A lot of people currently consider it “cheating” or “fake” the irony is that the images come out with a tonal range that more accurately reflects what a person would see in real life.
To me, the fact that I use this technique is personal validation that HDR is here to stay and that this technique is just as good as any other a photographer keeps in their arsenal. This scene begged to be captured in a full range and this was the only way to do it with the available light. My first impression of HDR years ago appalled me, but no more than bad photography might appall me. These days there are plenty of great examples of masterfully processed HDR photos, and these photographers and the community in general is getting better every day. People tend to dislike images that are highly processed on a computer but then don’t complain about techniques that can be employed in camera. New cameras coming out will focus more on performance and image quality including doing HDR in camera, some with specialized sensors do it all the time. What will HDR dissenters think about that? When it becomes more about how the photo is taken it becomes a game, for me photography is about capturing truth and beauty, truly expressing the emotional power of being there, I couldn’t care less if the photography did headstands while doing it, it’s the photo that matters.
HDR Technique: I initially processed this in Photomatix, the de facto HDR processing software as far as I can tell. I like what it does but I don’t love the way it treats all the textures, coming out with too much contrast in unusual places, the software not being aware of the elephants natural smoothness it treats their skin like a texture that needs to be brought out, and it was too much. Other unusual artifacts produced by photomatix cause flaring on highlight edges and the images come out a little softer than I like, losing a bit of resolution.
For this reason my final image was an HDR photo that I manually combined in photoshop. I layered each exposure on top of each other and kept each portion that was properly exposed for the final result. It ended up looking just the way I saw it without unusual artifacts and a more subdued contrast change. It will be interesting to see which image appeals most to people, so comment and let me know.
Photomatix HDR version:



elephant ……keep going you are all most their………
Essa foto ficou uma obra de arte, parabéns amigo! Forte abraço!
VERY NICE
wow
KAISE WOW
Magnificent!
peace and harmony
wow lol
Case closed!! Majestidc capture!
beautiful……
marvelous
Very Nice!!!
super nice
Words alone just don't do any justice at all. I'd love to experience such a thing. It's quite amazing.
très joli!
Interesting picture
I like this picture
this is a stunning capture! i think the fact a lot of HDR is overdone puts people off, but when done right the finished picture is all the better for it.
Wow, very nice image! Great light behind that cloud. Love the dust around that lead elephant! Very nicely captured.
I'm not a big fan of HDR but this is awesome.
beautiful photo!
awesome pic…
Incredible scene . . . wonderful image!
Awesome
I think most people's dislike of HDR is that it is usually firmly entrenched in the Uncanny Valley. Your work looks realistic, but not overly so, and I like it. But when you see a picture of a barn that is more red than any barn you've ever seen, with a backdrop of the greenest trees imaginable, the mind rebels.
HDR, when done to make photos realistic, is fine. But you'll get into trouble when it's done because "I LIEK COLORS!"
nice
This photo is incredible! Love it!
Fantastic beauty!
wow!
super!
nice
wow!how beautiful!
marvalous!
yes is that
I enjoy HDR..
really good
Means any de hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
that is really cool what cam did you use?
I think the issue with many people is when HDR isn't used to capture more accurately the tonal range, but when it is overused, creating unreal scenes. I don't have a problem with HDR, and I really like it when it is used to capture the real scene as in this picture.
The guests from the past.
+Juan Valencia There is absolutely nothing wrong with using HDR to create "unreal" scenes. If you consider photogtaphy as an art, then it is not always about reality, sometimes it is about emotion – and any way that you can convey that emotion to a viewer is as valid as any other.
Beautiful image Kyle, whatever the technique you used to create it.
amazing!
sorry my ignorance, what is HDR, the picture is amazing.
So beautiful!
I like this picture…nice.
Amazing shot… wow.
that is a fantastic photo
This is a great image. And a very strong argument for HDR.
I like this elephant image it beautiful.
Yes I like it, feel peaces, calm, family unity, vacation travel , a life, and so on.really good for meditation picture..
These elephants might be thinking!!!
na amazonia nao existe elefentes.. só na áfrica… bela foto.
powerful!
wow thats cool
Wonderful
great HDR… TFS
Great Photo
beautiful….
yes
Beautiful;))
Incredible
Im flabbergasted
+Kyle Marquardt About how long did it take you to manually stack the images appropriately? Also, how long have you been using Photomatix?
Vry nice pic.
beautiful photo
Amazing!
Soooo jealous…
wow really funny a couple elephants
Nice shot…
nice
thats really cool
fantastic….. i admired on this photo. Good work by the photographer
i love elephants
nice!
very nice!
very very pleasent sir,
good
wow…
Beautiful and majestic!
wild animals, would they survive for seeing the next generation of ours.
This is AWESOME!!!
beautiful… love it the elefant!!!
I think I'd like non-HDR version better, but it does make for interesting photography
this is a wonderful shot of pure beauty and peace. remarkable animals.
beautiful nature
awewome
is that elephant glowing
iytt almost looks edited
nice
WOW
walk to find the destination
Wow what a great shot! x
can't believe this is the first time I am seeing your profile +Kyle Marquardt thanks for sharing this wonderful work with us!
Wonderful.
Fantastic!!!
nice pic xx
Excelente foto …eles são lindos !!!
Very nice photo!
Beautiful!!
Very Nice Photos…
In what your doing, mankind can learn about so many things, if we open our minds, our hearts, our body, our spirit, our soul, to the surroundings on this earth…If you look, you can see, Gods creations, everywhere…but to notice what I am talking about, you must drift away from Carnal thinking, and start thinking, Spiritual…for then, and only then, can we see, the splendor, and learn the truth…in Animals, in Plants, everything on this earth, including, Mankind. Mankind needs to drift back to our Creator, God.
very very beautifulllllllll
beautiful
Superb
nice
Amazing!
Wow! Nys pho2s…
great pic
What a beautiful shot!
Excellent +Kyle Marquardt
nice capture with good location
Cool pic !
Superb work!!!
The exposure challenges make this a good candidate for this technique. My only problem with people using HDR is when they over map it, make it look 'surreal' to cover an otherwise ordinary image. Kind of a 'look at me' thing. HDR is no less a legitimate technique than dodging, burning, etc. It's just over used, and often poorly.
whoa… that looks really cool…
yeah….
Wow..just discovered your site. I have to say, you have the most beautiful pictures of nature i have ever seen. Glad I found your site, sharing your pics on pinterest.com and all over the place…:-)
That's so beautiful
Great write up Kyle. Thanks.
awesome pic
I'm not a great fan of HDR. Maybe it's more popular in USA, or a fad.
But there are some great shots on your website, so I have +1'd and re-blogged [shared].
beautiful.nature is beauty and beauty is nature
love the pic
wow….. so beautiful
great
luv it!
its very nice……………
cool
wow
WOW!
that's awesomely good
What are you think
Ironically the photomatix version looked photoshopped. Honestly I don't see why people complain about HDR when film had Velvia.
such a fantastic photo..
Sooo realistically lovely Kyle! Makes me fall in love with the planet we are on every time I look at it. Thanks, Kristine
HDR!
its really beautiful and amazing picture.
beautiful…
Congrats.Incredible picture
Once in a lifetime capture!
Magic
Never heard of HDR so thanks. I believe the position of the cloud blocking the sun makes it really with the effort
I LIKE THIS PITURE
Nice effect, man
This image is wonderful! That said, it does in fact look a little surreal. The elephants are too light. Here's the basic problem as I see it.
On a computer screen, "black" is OK, more or less. But "white" comes nowhere near the maximum brightness the human eye can adjust to. In the process of adjusting to bright light anywhere in the field of view, the iris contracts; and after a few seconds the retina becomes less sensitive. This visual adjustment would make the elephants more silhouetted than they are in this shot. The elephants are essentially too light, showing too much detail and not enough contrast, even compared to what the human eye can handle in terms of tonal range (what we call dynamic range in my profession.)
This may be the reason that many people are slow to include HDR in their repertoire of techniques. People know what they expect to see in photographs, or even in real life. So part of the problem may be that HDR is TOO good. It circumvents the limits of the human eye, which makes HDR photos look a little unreal.
In my humble opinion, maybe underdoing it a little more would help.
Honestly, still too HDR-y for my tastes. But I am impressed by your ability, nevertheless. And your proximity to elephants.
Simply beautiful!
Fantastic
Man effect nice,GREAT
Truly majestic creatures shown in all their beauty. Think HDR is like any new art movement and it's all about experimenting
Its a Good Jungle out there with beautiful animals. Love all Animals…. to Save all.
good jungle
http://m.youtube.com/?rdm=4phc78cr7&reload=3#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRnQds9wSwyg%26sns%3Dfb&sns=fb&v=RnQds9wSwyg&gl=US
Pass this link around I need to get as many views as possible for a competition thanks so much
Very, very cool, Kyle!
KING of the KINGDOM! Beautiful pic!
discussed this post with 1 person in a hangout.
I've loved photography for 50+ years, but had sense enough to know I wasn't good enough to make a living at it. I've read of HDR and asked my son (who is an IT person at a large firm) about it. Back in the old days I've seen similar effects using printing "tricks". Your photo shows what HDR can do! Love & Peace…..Duck
What a WOW moment with my 9 year old Son! Thank You!!!
i love elephants
cool
Amazing photo
Beautiful ….thanks you for sharing
thts so cute!
Defo cute
awesome shot
very nice
you suck
wow! I love that image…theres so much going on in it!
Great shot, Kyle!
I like it
What a beautiful landscape?
What beautiful animal and how the sun just shines right on them is so amazing to me
cool
"Hey man,nice shot"-
-That's awesome!
cooler than every tHiNg
this OK
Beautiful!
I like the rays … Nice job
Beautiful!
They r such beautiful animals!!!!
and soon they will be no more =dam
I shoot a lot of HDR and just taught a class in it to my photography club. Try Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro. I find it does a better job with landscapes than Photomatix does. I'll still use Photomatix for architecture and still lifes, but for landscapes I'll use HDR Efex.
WoWwWwWwW Thank U …
Welcome to Kenya,home to Amazing wildlife
It loox like it is photshopped
I like that
You lucky guy
thanks
That is very nice +Kyle Marquardt
so nice albem
yes
woooow…that looks so out of this world…feels like something heavenly descending!!
lol
Went and looked. I like the manual HDR much better.
lol cute though
nice pic
amazing
thats sweet
george f gresham art i love no words
SOOOO COOL
Bravo
Nice pic!
lucky you did not get stomped on
that's a amazing photo,how to do it ? and where can do it ?
Beautiful!
It's beautiful.
"[...] that more accurately reflects what a person would see in real life."
That's the second time today today I've seen somebody make this argument… but the photo above is not an accurate recreation of what the human eye would perceive in that situation. Not remotely.
In fact I don't think I've ever seen a HDR photo that doesn't evoke some perceptive dissonance. The otherworldly pecularity of the colours and the contrast… it immediately and jarringly registers as false.
Another photographer earlier today said, much like yourself, that the goal with HDR was ultimately to create a more natural representation of what the human eye perceives, which is fair enough, but the HDR photos I've seen don't come close to achieving this.
Whether that's a limitation of the technology or a limitation of the people manipulating it, I don't know. Can anybody enlighten me on that?
Beautiful scrap.
… So much in one image… right place right time, super execution, great post, incredible …
Looking good
gorgeous photo
cute
Amazing photograph
oh!its fantastic
thank you for sharing your sensational talent!
beautiful, thanks….
Beautiful result – and thanks for the mention!
I like elephants
Hi
Nice
great
Amazing photo Kyle :congratulations !
Going back to Base
Wonderful
wow!!!
fat!!!!!!
They don't forget!
I've nexer seen such a beautiful picture of elephants
And if you like elephants let me send you the postcard with the picture of elephant,from Nikolay,Yerevan,Armenia.
amazing!
excellent photo
hi
Peaceful
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
woooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh
beautiful
i am awe struck at the beauty of your pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Really, really nice !!!
beautiful picture.thank you for sharing it
Stop sharing thingz with the public i dont want ur crap on my wall
Stunning photo!
niceeeeeee
nice
Wow!
awesome
Wow Nice ~
Wow..just wow!
hai
This makes me think… Roll Tide!
Very nice
life is rolllla costerrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!
ahaha the chosen one
its nice
super………..really good…………..
Crazy
You should definitely try DXO for your HDR work . I think you'll love it. http://www.dxo.com/us/photo/dxo_optics_pro/introduction
Fantastic … the Tembos!!!
That is a great shot.
nice
我喜歡!
I like very much nature,birds and animals especially Elephants.
nice
What a beautiful Photo
I lived in Black Africa during many years. Your picture show perfectly the reality of the african landscapes. Great !
Love to go to Africa on holiday, looking at this photo I will!!
beautiful
非常漂亮。
d:- A great photo it is.)
beautiful photo
Lovely shot
I'm amazed
wow that's a lot rabbits, great picture!!!!!!!!!!
This is amazing photography! Wonderful!
Your work is amazing. You are very accomplished.
wow! its just lovable.
NICE
beautiful great work
NICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCE
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