Suburban Scenes by Mike Savad

My name is Mike Savad, I've been doing photography for most of my life, and digital about 1/3rd of it. I currently specialize in HDR images. Many of compared my work to paintings - to the point of asking which medium I use Many compare it to Norman Rockwell, and a few other artists. The main goal is to create something that resembles an Oil painting when  complete. My focus is nostalgia primarily. Memories are often more interesting when created in a painterly manner.  I created this site to teach those who want to learn how I create my HDR images. Many have asked, so this site is for you.

My techniques are always changing, always evolving. So each HDR tutorial I write will differ from one to the other. I dated the guides, You can see how they differ as I add more.

If you want to go straight my HDR tutorials click here:

HDR TUTORIALS - Painterly method - ADVANCED Lessons

Why use HDR? What is HDR? Why make it look like a painting?

I only recently learned about HDR about 4 years ago. HDR has been around for a while, there were methods on increasing the range of  visible light long before the term HDR came into style. The use of HDR creates something new and unique to you. Each person has their own style and method. Eventually, people will recognize your stuff from other people's work, because you develop a style over time. As a photographer you have to know by now that at a certain stage of a photographer's career, all the photo's will start to look the same - compared from one photographer to the next. I've seen so many mountain-scapes, I can't tell who made the image. One photographer will copy the style of the other, use the same equipment, and create an identical picture. However with HDR, you can create an absolutely unique image, and you can say that it was Artistically done, and hand created. HDR is a wonderful tool - you can create an image that doesn't suffer from the typical problems other photo's have. Blown out windows is a popular one, it's hard to get detail inside while maintaining the same detail outside. Hidden detail in shadow: you would be amazed just how much detail is hidden in spots your eyes just looked over. By exposing a frame so everything is over exposed, you  are revealing detail that no one has noticed before; and because that detail is there, it helps create that painting like illusion.

What does HDR Stands for?

High Dynamic Range - Basically you setup a tripod (or by hand like I do),  take 3 or more pictures (-2 0 2) and place them in a program like Photomatix. This will in turn press the colors into one image. Normally when you shoot a room, with a window to the outside, you will either get the window or the room - but not both. Either the room will be too dark, or the window terribly overexposed. HDR allows you to combine the shot with some amazing results. Some programs like Photomatix has micro contrast controls that lights up small details very nicely. HDR allows you to get a clear exposure across the whole image with detail throughout.

Why a painting?

Why not? Natively after processing and HDR in Photomatix, the image has a sort of sketched, illustrated look, sometimes painting like. Going on this I went further to create a total immersion of the image. However I don't like using programs like Photomatix.

What's wrong with programs designed for HDR?

After processing an HDR - there are inherent problems, if' you've tried creating one in the past you'll understand what I'm talking about. Many problems exist when using a HDR processing program, maybe they will improve over time, however: They usually have very grainy backgrounds. Due to the micro contrast enhancing small detail, it will also push out the noise. Pin Cushion, that's what I call it, it sort of forms a white sprite of light that merges out of a black contrasted line.  Dull gray or noisy black. The program will try to get the make the whites darker (it thinks it's a blown out section that needs to be darker), turning them into a gray color. Blacks will be pushed beyond their braking point, causing increased noise and loss of detail.  A very flat look. The program will flatten contrast and midtones, and on top of that, it will brighten the shadow - without shadow you lose depth, and without depth, you lose shape, and it all just looks very flat afterwards. Photomatix at least, has a tendency to screw up RAW images. The sharpenss is off, colors dull, and it isn't as full of detail as it would be if it was processed outside the hdr program. You can't shoot an object that moves or you'll get ghosts. I figured out ways to remove this - I can shoot people and get away with it.... and do it.... with a camera. It will light everything evenly, you may just want to light certain areas. This is what makes an HDR look like an HDR, you'll never know where the light is coming from because every surface is lit up from all directions. Sometimes this is a good effect, often not. Based on the things above I got a very grainy, flat image, that wasn't that sharp, had uneven lighting, ghosts, and a lot of other problems. Because of the things listed above I started editing the images that came out to improve on what it looked like. Painting over noisy spots, cloning out ghosts, adding contrasts, etc. Little by little the process formed, it looked more and more painting like. Currently I still use Photomatix, but for texture only. It can achieve detail I can't do by hand. Try it on a Train, it looks very awesome.

My Goal:

I hate waste. I hate wasting my time taking many photographs hoping to get a few shots worth keeping. I also hate storing those images of which I don't use. Typically a good photographer will take 100 pictures to get about 10 images that they will actually use. Then only show about 2-3% which is their best work. The numbers vary per person, but overall there is much waste. Typical photos, unless setup in a studio, will be full of problems. Problems like too much shadow, too bright, etc. I take almost all of my pictures when I'm out on a trip, vacation etc. In locations where there isn't optimal lighting inside or out, on days that are cloudy, mid day sun, rainy, etc, or any indoor location where flash isn't allowed. My goal was to create something out of nothing. To be able to use nearly 100% of my shots. To be able to shoot in any lighting conditions, from really bright noon day light, to rather dark murky lighting in some corner of a room. To create something unique with a style people can recognize.

My Style:

Everyone has there own photographic style. Due to the locations I shoot in, I often get nostalgic items, with plenty of details usually in the form of  different trades. I like a certain amount of business in an image. I like letting my eye wander, exploring all the details The real world is full of details, why not capture them? However the downside is,  it takes longer to edit it my work. Every inch of the scene, everything will be highlighted individually, trying to figure out where light should fall and making that area darker, while at the same time adding shadow for depth.

My Equipment:

I use a Canon 5D MKii - I used to use a Canon 20d Tamron 28-300vc Lens - While not a  fast lens, it is stable, I've been able to hand hold a picture for up to 1 second, Once 3.5 second (though it was blurred, it was pretty good for what it was). Fishing bag I got at Walmart on sale. Using a piece of foam on the bottom to absorb shocks, and some corrugated plastic on the sides to give it a more rigid opening. A homemade brace that mounts on the bottom of the camera, A foam handle grip on a piece of PVC mounted to a plastic ball hinge. It allows me to stabilize better, and I can get it higher when needed. A home made mask to block out the light when shooting against a window. An old glasses lens cloth that lets me clean a window of some dirt and fingerprints to get a clearer picture when shooting through glass. Yeah I do clean it first.  General cleaning stuff Medical Stuff including Sting Kill, Tummy upset stuff, Bandage, Muscle Strain Cream (arnica montanta), etc. I've used every one of these, and while it adds weight I'm glad I have it. A hat, emergency rain poncho, garbage bag (emergency shelter I hope I never have to use) Flashlight (the mine light, it has magnets all over it and sticks to steel). Bag of Peanuts, plain with a dusting of sea salt powder. These things are great (provided your not allergic, for giving you a boost of energy. I'll also carry a little bit of candy to help with some shock after an injury, and 2 granola bars. Bottle of water in an insulated bag left over from my vest. Always carry water, I made that mistake a few times and you really don't want to dehydrate.  Umbrella, A small Totes square umbrella.  Hand Sanitizer, and hand lotion, Tissues 2 Extra batteries Backup device (500gigs) Extra cards as an emergency, I hope I don't have to use. 1-2 gigs, my current one is 32gigs, holds about 999 or a little higher using iso100, full size, raw. Wacom Intous 3 Fast computer.

While I do own many tripods - I don't use them.

Your probably asking why, because in order to make a good HDR, you need them to register properly. However there are many problems with tripod, including the weight.

Tripods are for Amateurs

If that's your thought you are wrong. If you let the camera choose the ISO, and you hand edit you can shoot it by hand. A stabilized lens is somewhat critical however. When I did use a tripod I used a mirror release, with a remote control. But even when I used it, it still wasn't that sharp. The main problem is, while the camera is steady, the exposure is long, 30 seconds or more. The floor bounces or you can bump into the thing yourself. Plus I had to carry it. Not using a tripod means you can easily choose your angle, your not stuck at where ever it fits. It's hard to raise  and lower it. People tend to trip over them which is why they usually don't allow them in museums and house tours. I can't tell you just how many missed pictures and opportunities I missed because I was either trying to get a shot and couldn't get the angle or view I wanted. Or something interesting was happening and my camera was in the middle of a shot.  Other times I didn't want to set it up because I don't like making a scene. Some people will form a line behind you to see what your doing, and  I don't like that. Most museums and houses, etc - don't allow the pod. But more so, even if they did, they don't give you the time it takes to do take one picture. By the time you take the images, the tour is over and you only have 1 HDR - while clear, it's only 1, and it still may be blurry due to bouncy floors. The last house tour I was in, we had a total of 30 min to see 2 floors (20 rooms) in a house that you can barely read a paper in. Maybe 40w of light per room. I shot in ISO3200 and it still wasn't enough. In one room I had to shoot in ISO12000ish and THAT still wasn't enough. Shooting by hand is a pain to do, but what freedom! I can do it outside, near a window, down low, around a corner, etc. You'll also get less stares, and with the advent of everyone owning a large black camera, you'll blend in better. Learn to control your breathing, squeeze the trigger gently, hold yourself steady and and shoot. Line the cross hairs on a subject and do it for each HDR shot. Don't use multiple frames in succession, you might get people in the shot accidentally

Basic Setup

To get a good HDR, you'll need a wide variety of exposures, take as many frames as you need, you may have to bump the iso to it's maximum to getthe shot. It's better to have noise then to have a blurry picture. There are ways to deal with the noise later on. The size of the image and how many you take may be an issue for some. My camera shoots at 21mp, Full frame, 14bit RAW (ALWAYS shoot in RAW). The basic image is 25megs a piece. Raise the iso, and it's more, the 25000 ISO - 40megs a piece or more depending on light and texture. So 3 HDR shots may be an average of 33megs a piece (indoor high iso's), that's about 100 megs per HDR scene. Currently to backup my stuff it takes an average of 2 Dual Layer  DVD's. Until blueray goes down in price I have to use that. But getting back on subject, I would rather have bright sharp frames, it makes it easier to do my job afterwards. But it also means thinking on your feet and dialing in the right info in your camera each time. Even though I have 3 custom settings, I often have the settings wrong because I didn't rotate the wheel  to the right place. Also in case your wondering what my settings are (keep in mind that this camera has an auto ISO mode to 3200. C1 - +2 ISO 6400 or higher - to get shadow detail. C2 - HDR - bracketing - ISO 6400 - for those desperately dark rooms. C3 - HDR - bracketing - Auto ISO - what I use for everything

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