DIY HDR aerial photography

Hello,

I am interested in aerial photography and have been looking into getting a drone for quite some time because of the possibilities offered by them. Currently looking at the DJI range (for affordability). I have no idea how to actually put one together...

I am also interested in HDR photography and know a fair bit about it. Given the current size and weight of most DSLR camera's I think it would be better to attach a smaller camera (GoPro or other) to a drone to get some aerial shots but you can't bracket your shots - geting several exposures to then merge into one HDR image for those who don't know what bracketing is :)

Anyway, I came across some software that I thought was interesting and wanted to know if anyone else is using it - HDRinstant. It lets you make HDR images from video which I thought was pretty decent. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

Andy,

I think if you are new to aerial photography and new to r/c quadcopters you will find that there are many more important things to master before having to try to adapt HDR techniques to aerial images. I know that's not really answering your question, but I'm trying to suggest that HDR is an unnecessary distraction for where you are on the learning curve of capturing high quality aerial images from a UAV.

I've shot professionally for decades and while I've been impressed with some HDR images I've seen, I've never used HDR. The dynamic range contained in a raw image (or GoPro Protunes mode) is more than adequate for me when combined with more basic techniques like avoiding extreme contrast in the first place, or managing it with the use of gradated ND filters, polarizers and such.

The other thing to consider is that if your end product is stills rather than video, you'll probably want the higher res (12MP) image you get from photo mode, where the shortest interval between frames would 1/2 sec. I'm not sure if that would be too much movement between frames to work for HDR.

I'm a licensed pilot and photographer, but r/c is new to me, so I'm going through my own learning curve to achieve the smooth flight lines I want for the quality of video I'm trying to achieve. My approach is to acknowledge my limitations as an r/c pilot and focus on mastering those skills first before trying to apply my photography skills to this new shooting platform.

Hope that helps a little.

Replies

Tim Fields April 20, 2014 at 6:52pm

Andy,

I think if you are new to aerial photography and new to r/c quadcopters you will find that there are many more important things to master before having to try to adapt HDR techniques to aerial images. I know that's not really answering your question, but I'm trying to suggest that HDR is an unnecessary distraction for where you are on the learning curve of capturing high quality aerial images from a UAV.

I've shot professionally for decades and while I've been impressed with some HDR images I've seen, I've never used HDR. The dynamic range contained in a raw image (or GoPro Protunes mode) is more than adequate for me when combined with more basic techniques like avoiding extreme contrast in the first place, or managing it with the use of gradated ND filters, polarizers and such.

The other thing to consider is that if your end product is stills rather than video, you'll probably want the higher res (12MP) image you get from photo mode, where the shortest interval between frames would 1/2 sec. I'm not sure if that would be too much movement between frames to work for HDR.

I'm a licensed pilot and photographer, but r/c is new to me, so I'm going through my own learning curve to achieve the smooth flight lines I want for the quality of video I'm trying to achieve. My approach is to acknowledge my limitations as an r/c pilot and focus on mastering those skills first before trying to apply my photography skills to this new shooting platform.

Hope that helps a little.

This reply was deleted.

Discussions

DIY HDR aerial photography

Replies

Activity