Hand held HDR

Do you do hand held HDR - if you do any special set up

I just came back from a vacation in China (amazing place)
did not take a tripod - so i set my Custom dial on the 7D for 3 AEB @ continuous shooting, some came great other so so, see bellow
Do share your pics & thoughts

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Another trick is once you set the desired AEB -2 0 2 or -1 0 1 then set it to selftimer countdown like 2 seconds or 10 if you do not have a 2 sec. Also tri shooting it threw liveview cause the mirror is already up in liveview and you can eliminate mirror slap vibration as well. The selftimer will take all three shots back to back with you having to hold down the shutter button. Another tip is to use objects as a stabilizer like a wall or star rail anything you can set the camera on to act like a tripod, a rock will do as well. But the software now a days have matching features built into them.

I try to find a point where i keep the focus point on e.g. a corner of a roof and than sqeeeez shutter very steadily
if i can get a rock/edge/ledge to put the cam on i do it

omer, I remover your 4 additional attachments as POTN image posting rules allow only 2 attachments. You may start new threads with 2 images per thread.

Kevin wrote in post #11194979
omer, I remover your 4 additional attachments as POTN image posting rules allow only 2 attachments. You may start new threads with 2 images per thread.

OK no problem
i just wanted to raise a point and see if people do hand held HDR and how they do it

(as i highly respect POTN - spending alot of time here i am sorry about it - was not intentional - however some times more than 2 pics are needed to make a point)

thx

omer wrote in post #11198576
however some times more than 2 pics are needed to make a point

You can do up to 8 images if you do not attach them, just put the image url between img tags like so.

Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Almost all my hdr bracketed shots are done handheld. With the 7D's fast fps, 3 bracketed shots at once and good light, it's not very difficult. I also shoot 5 or 7 bracketed images handheld with my Mk II. Like shooting a rifle, good breathing technique and locking in how the camera is held really helps. In low light conditions or when I want to do more than 3 brackets using my 7D, then I use a tripod.

The newest versions of Photomatix and CS5 do an excellent job of aligning the bracketed shots for tonemapping.

The longest exposure I've done hand held on a single image is one second. Keep practicing and you'll do fine.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

1 second Handheld Gene? You must be one hell of a marksman!

Omer, I shoot handheld 3 bracket exposures all the time. Nothing really that hard about it. Put your camera on high speed continuous, set the AEB to +/- 2, and let her rip. As said above try to aim one of your exposure points on a target and hold it there as best as you can. The software does a great job at aligning the shots up. I'm using CS4, but even CS3 was pretty forgiving.

Great work NavyDoc (in your referenced site)
i love the pool and the desert, the farm houses and the lake
your Bar looks a bit lonely and seems to need some company
did you use a tripod for the pool shot?
what software did you use for the HDR processing?

J-Blake wrote in post #11201175
Put your camera on high speed continuous, set the AEB to +/- 2, and let her rip. As said above try to aim one of your exposure points on a target and hold it there as best as you can. The software does a great job at aligning the shots up. I'm using CS4, but even CS3 was pretty forgiving.

i do that too see my opening post (i actuality set C1 to have it all set properly e.g AEB , Contiguous servo disable auto light optimization etc)

can you post an example of you hand held HDR

Sure, here's a couple. When shooting handheld, the camera is always set to aperture mode. I don't know any benefit to shooting in Servo mode. The biggest limitation of shooting this way is that your limiting the range to just 3 exposures. If possible, I like to have my tripod on hand so that I can make sure to take enough shots to cover the exposure range of the scene. My last shoot most shots included 14 or more shots at +/- 1 EV. If bringing your tripod isn't convenient, bring a small one in your bag or pocket.

nice shots
you are right
my setup for hand held is AV mode, and continuous drive , single shot (not servo - i just mixed in my post drive/vs servo)

as for limited to 3 exposure
i find that most times +-2EV will provide a good dynamic range and there is no need for more than 3 shots, so i put the camera on a tripod and use a remote to activate it on continuous (slow speed to limit shake)

Thanks omer. Almost all the hdr images I have at my website were shot handheld, including the ones with the waterfall. The only ones done on a tripod were a couple inside an aircraft hanger.

I use Photomatix and CS5 for most of my edits and occassionally, will use Oloneo and Topaz Adjust.

For shooting handheld, I also use the widest aperature possible and raise the iso to keep the shutter speed high enough.