Experiments in HDR portraiture

I went out on a photoshoot today with Lanette, who is just plain tearin' up the world with her new camera. There's no thing too big or too little or too just plain weird for her to take a photo of it. ;) Now, one of the fun advantages to having a shooting buddy is that you can beg them to be your model. I've been wondering what HDR photography can do for portraiture -- given how long it takes to flip between bracketed shots, it reminds me, in technique, of some of the long-exposure portraits of long ago. So I had Lanette stand still for a while in some poses while I did the HDR thing. I tried to violate all the rules, too, by having strong backlighting and using a superwide lens (I hope she forgives me!) and being symmetrical and centered. I tried toning these photos realistically, but honestly, I preferred the painterly option that HDR offers, especially in the recliner shot. Reminds me a bit of some of the silky-smooth long-exposure portraiture that a few artists were experimenting with back in the 50s.



Interestingly enough, for the 'close up' photo in the church, her nose is about three inches from my lens. That's one wide lens.



Click to enlarge in a new window.