(Note: Click on all images to enlarge.)

It is condemnatory that the hefty investment of my camera gear has not turned into a wise one due to severe practice shortage. Deterred by wintry blizzard earlier of the year, I am now excuse-less since the summer has been blistering hot. Encouraged also by my imminent travel to Egypt, I dusted my camera and headed to Greenwich Park earlier this week with a purpose – to shoot bracketed photos for HDR, or high dynamic range images.

HDR image is a photographic technique where three or more images taken under different exposure settings are combined to form a single picture, in a scene where the contrast is starkly different for it to be properly exposed by the camera.

However, as I was editing post-processing my photographs taken under a mildly disappointing and thus less dramatic weather, I couldn’t help but began to wonder, how much control do we have to perfecting our images before they become, erm, unrealistic?

The first of the three photos above was the ‘correctly’ exposed photo as interpreted by the camera. It is evident that the foreground (the building) in this photo was underexposed and the background (the cloudy sky) was washed-out. In order to preserve both the dramatic sky and the details of the building, a HDR solution has to be summoned.

So by combining the normally exposed photo, with one severely underexposed (for details in the sky) and another extremely overexposed (for the details in the building) photos, the following HDR image is produced and is compared to its original image on the left.

It is undoubted that the HDR image was processed compulsively. Nevertheless, very few people will deny that such an image is actually very pleasing to the eyes and even when they do, they are often amazed by the details preserved in a picture using HDR technique. However, here comes the question: When it comes to photography, are we striving to capture a photo that could genuinely represent a real scene even when the end result is slightly disappointing, or are we trying to gimmick-ly processed photos and so the details are retained?

Challenging question. But what if we tone down the processing method and produce a closer-to-life image that is capable of preserving details? (Take a look on the following photos.) Now we notice that the sky is less dramatic but the clouds are clearly distinguishable from each other as opposed to the original image. The details of the building has also become sharper. The overall tone of the image is warmer and thus eliminated the hazy feeling of the original image due to perhaps incorrect white balance setting.

Now another question: If presented only the lightly HDR image, will you suspect it is processed? And if given the last couple of images, which one would you have preferred in general?

I understand and share the same perspective as many of you, photos are best left untouched. But what if HDR image, if realistically processed – if that ever exists – could significantly enhanced the details of an image and bring it closer-to-life, which is highly impossible to be captured using a camera solely? Take a look on the following example, could you tell it is processed?

Fiona, my best friend in London, challenged me to post an entry without the assistance of a dictionary or thesaurus. Instead of accepting the challenge with an open arm, I went on instantaneously wondering her discovery. Was it the bombastic words heavily deployed in my recent updates that revealed a rather forceful English composition? Or has she secretly installed a pin-size camera in my room perversely obtaining pleasure through spying on my every activity? Well, at least I am flattered if it was the latter.

Her comment, however, weighed more heavily than a silly spying  joke. It reignited a particular concern I have had recently – the lack of proficiency in written English, which unfortunately has cost me an employment offer I have longed for. And as the comment came amid my concerted effort to improve on my writing via frequent practices, it sparked my worry that perhaps I have gone overboard and become trying too hard.

Nevertheless, I accepted the challenge eventually. As I began thinking of my options, my first thought, a skilful trick to bypass the challenge with an one-sentence-entry which probably says “Fiona, this is my update without the use of a dictionary,” entered my mind with an evil grin. Even when I think the entry is unquestionably eligible for the challenge, it wouldn’t do me a glorious favour. And so it was aborted.

My second option, based on Fiona’s profound interest to unveil my not so secret talent to (frequent) random hook-ups, was to reveal the raunchy conversations I have had with my rapidly changing sexual partners. While I started recollecting the images of these people through a lighting speed image flashing, the thought of me being stabbed to death by not one, but the many former brief encounters, after a potential detrimental public humiliation to their openness in sex-hunt via the revelation of supposedly discreet conversations, cooled my sharing excitement.

Moving on, I pondered if it would be more appropriate in this particular circumstance, where English language itself is the focus point, to adopt a more formal channel by sharing my limited experience in English literature. I can and will of course draw your attention towards the only short story I have remembered from my high school English literature classes – The lotus eater. I believe when the discussion developed, I would probably dwelled into the simple but effective style of writing and bla bla bla, which will undoubtedly encourage you to close this window at the soonest with just a click on the finger. 

After careful consideration to keep this post slightly amusing, I, still revolving around the English language, was inspired to discuss the inability of most Malaysians to pronounce the last alphabet of English words, which of course has inevitably landed me in many humiliating occasions. And I will most likely share with you one of the most classic examples of my personal experience – a grocery shopping in a Norwegian supermarket with my European and other Asian friends when I have had to spend half a day explaining my desire to purchase half a dozen of egg. The obstacle I faced in pronouncing the ‘g’ in the simplest English word has literally made me spelt the word out before my bewildered friends were finally enlightened with hysterical laughter.

Just when I thought that this indeed could be a potential blog entry for this English challenge, I realised the thought process itself has utilised the words limit I normally allocate for an entry. Despite my keen desire to continue, I conclude my current entry prematurely with massive regret by saying: Voila Fiona!