Category: Best of the Tetons

Realistic HDR Without 3rd Party Applications

I am not a big fan of the typical HDR look. Other people—and even some judges—love it. But, to each his own!

This page contains a recent “tough” shot of an owl sitting in a tree with a bright white cloud behind him. I waited 45 minutes for the white cloud to pass, but it never did. I shot a few dozen (or hundred) images of the Long-eared owl as single shots. Luckily most owls hold very still for long periods. I set my D800 to do a 3 image bracket of the scene: one under, one on, and one over the normal exposure. With the focus set, I just waited until it held a pose and clicked three times. The camera did the exposure adjustments for me. Oh yes, I was shooting on a sturdy tripod!

Bracketed Set: This is a screen grab of the three selected images side by side in Lightroom.

Merge to HDR: I usually right mouse click one of the three images to bring up the Edit In option, then pick Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop. You can also use the drop down menu Photo>Edit In>Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop.

Merge to HDR: You will see this screen after Photoshop works with the image a minute or so following the Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop step above. Don’t get scared off by this flat looking image! The next couple of steps bring the image back to life! This is the important screen grab. You can click it to view it larger. The three images in the lower left appear with no adjustments needed. If I had shot the scene with five, seven or nine images, they’d appear in that group. I make sure “Remove Ghosts” is checked along with “Complete Toning in Adobe Camera Raw”, then click Tone in ACR.

ACR Adjustments: After a few seconds, the image opens up in Adobe Camera Raw. All of the tools are available for adjusting the image, but you’ll quickly discover you have incredible range in the blacks, whites, highlights, and especially shadows. The Merge to HDR step created a huge 32 bit file “packed” with the best information from all three images, and as you can see, the image still looks natural! (Click this image to see it much larger)

Layer with Smart Filter: this is a screen grab of the resulting image coming out of ACR. Notice the layer has a Smart Filter!

Adjustments with Smart Filter: At any time, I can still revisit and adjust any of the commands within ACR by double clicking on the Camera Raw Filter text under Smart Filters. In this case, I double clicked it and made adjustments to the HSL sliders. I increased the saturation of the Oranges and same for the blues. I also added a bit of a vignette in the Effects tab. I can continue to adjust any of the sliders by going back to the Camera Raw Filter by double clicking it. The adjustments are “non-desctructive” to the original base layer.

Save to EXR: If I think I might want to return to this file and continue working with it later, I can save the file as an OpenEXR file. I can also open that file in other HDR programs like NIK HDR Pro 2 or Photomatix Pro. (Note: for this demonstration, neither are necessary). Also note, the EXR file can be imported back into Lightroom and additional adjustments can be made directly in Lightroom, although the same commands are available in ACR. Don’t let this step confuse you! I included it only because the earlier steps can be used as gateways into the other programs. Adobe Photoshop does a very good job of aligning the layers and removing ghosts from the bracketed images.

Cropped 32 bit EXR: To reduce long term file size, I went ahead and cropped the EXR file. (I could have cropped this images in Lightroom in one of the earliest steps, but would have need to Sync the crop in all three images. That’s a quick step.) Photoshop reprocesses the image if done at this stage. I could also wait and crop in later steps. In this case, I went ahead and saved the cropped version over the top of the file name of the full image.

Mode Change: Up until this point, the image has been in 32 bit mode. Not many programs can handle the file in this form. Most Photoshop filters will be grayed out, however, NIK HDR Pro 2 will still be available if I wanted to get the traditional “HDR Look”. Normally, I convert to 16 bit at this stage, especially if I plan on working on it with other filters or techniques. JPGs will need to be converted to 8 bit at some point. At this stage, (if the file is not already flattened) I click Layer>Flatten Image. This removes the Smart Filter functionality and allows for additional effects.

HDR Toning: Immediately after clicking on either 8 bit or 16 bit, this screen pops up. For my purposes, I click on “Method” and choose Exposure and Gamma. If I did my adjustments already in ACR, I don’t need to touch either slider and simply hit the OK button. Note: If you like some of the traditional “HDR” looks, check out the other options in the “Method” box.

Final Image: This is a screen grab of the adjusted HDR image without the HDR look.

Final Save: At this point, I save the final image in the folder of my choice, usually next to the EXR file if I saved one in the earlier steps. I prefer TIF, but other file formats are available from this list. After the save, I have full editing ability, including the option of doing additional ACR adjustments on the 8 bit or 16 bit file buy clicking Filter>Adobe Camera Raw (this option takes Photoshop CC or CC 2014).

The Wrap Up: Sometimes, these kind of “How-To” posts make a process seem much more complicated than it really is. I have to include all the screen grabs to help out, but really the steps are fairly easy and intuitive once you’ve done it a couple of times. The results look much more natural than most images I’ve ever seen using the third party programs. The built in Smart Filters make it easy to adjust the image if you don’t like the last adjustments. I’ve tried this same set of steps on a lot of images and it works very well on most of them. I bumped into one Schwabacher Landing image that gave me problems…it worked, but at least for that image, I didn’t like the colors. The bottom line…on tough shots like this one, it only takes a few seconds to dial in Bracket on the camera and get a few shots just to be safe. 

NIK HDR Efex Pro 2: I didn’t want to confuse readers by including this earlier, but this is the first screen I might have seen if I had opened my image in NIK. I’d need quite a bit of adjusting to try to bring it to the spot I was already at while in Photoshop using the steps I described above. (Click the image to view it much larger)

Lightroom AND Photoshop or ALL Photoshop: I typically start my images in Lightroom. It seems most people have it now. To do these steps, you’d need Photoshop, but you wouldn’t need Lightroom. Also, I started with RAW files. You can create an HDR image with JPGS. To create these steps using only Photoshop, open three images and copy one of them to the clipboard and paste it into one of the others. Do the same for the third image, until you have all images in a single document containing three layers. Shift-Select all three layers in the layers tab, then go to File>Automate>Merge to HDR Pro… The rest of the steps should be essentially the same.

If you like this post, please share it by clicking on any of the Social Media icons below or add links back to this site at your favorite forums. MJ

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A monthly journal of wildlife reports, scenic opportunities, and tidbits for both photographers and Teton visitors!

Please Note: This is first entry or template for the first day of March. Please check the last few days of  February 2015 Daily Updates & Photos for Grand Teton National Park & JH: I’ll be adding new images and notes throughout the month!

Recent Daily Updates Archives:
2015: Mar: |  Feb: | Jan:
2014: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2013: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug:

March Overview:

Most of the winter months offer similar opportunities for both wildlife and landscapes: Mountain Goats “normally” start becoming more dependable subjects in March. Red Foxes and Owls seem to appear in random places during this month. Feb: 2015:  |  Jan: 2015  |  Jan: 2014  |  Feb: 2014 | Mar: 2014: |  Dec: 2013. Also check out: The Dead of Winter: The Cold Realities and Exciting Possibilities of Winter Photography in GTNP..

Suggested “Opportunities”: Right now, here are my top spots to check out, especially for wildlife.  Some will be a bit of a gamble, but they might also pay off in a big way if you hit it right. Also note, winter keeps a stronger grip on the landscape in the northern parts of the park and along the base of the mountains. It can start looking like early Spring in some areas and look like December in others.

• Flat Creek Observation Deck: Look for Swans Along Flat Creek, Geese, Ducks and occasional River Otters.
• Boyle’s Hill Pond: Trumpeter Swans of Boyle’s Hill: (The link includes a map)
• Miller Butte: Look for Bighorns , Elk, Pronghorns, Coyotes, Wolves, Eagles, Ravens, Bison.
• Gros Ventre River: Look for Moose , Bald Eagles, Elk, and Bison there.
• Kelly Area: Look for Mule Deer at the edges of town and around the Shane Cabins. Also keep an eye out for a Porcupine near the Shane cabins.
• Alpine Junction: Watch for Mountain Goats near the mouth of the canyon.  With so much of the higher elevations melted off, it doesn’t appear many of the Mountain Goats are coming down anywhere near the road at this time. Wait for more snow to give them a reason to move down.
• Camp Creek along the Hoback River: Check out Bighorns along the road.
• Sleigh Ride on the National Elk Refuge:  Best winter deal in the valley! With all of the warm weather, sleighs have been replaced with wagons. Elk are scattered and the trips are longer.

Important Winter Links

• Best of the Tetons : Start Here!: This page will give you a good overview of the earlier Feature Posts
• Helpful Links and Resources: Weather Reports, Web Cams and Ski Reports have links in the right navigation bar, but this page has many additional links.
• Winter Closures: Many areas are closed during the Winter months. Click the link, scroll to the Winter section and look for the Winter closure maps.
• Winter In the Tetons: Travel and Photography Tips: A “must read” for winter visitors.
  
• The National Elk Refuge & Miller Butte: This is one of the best areas for wildlife during much of the Winter.

Oldie But Goodie Post of the Day

Looking for Transitions:

Some kind of switch goes off in March. Many of the previous Winter months seem about the same. This is a month to watch for the subtle changes. In March, the landscape can change—sometimes dramatically and sometimes quickly.

Most Recent Feature Post: Swan Skirmish on Ice:

This page contains a sequence of about 18 images taken with a Nikon D4 of a battle between two Trumpeter Swan families at Boyle’s Hill. Not many visitors to the valley will ever see anything quite like these shots. It includes a full “take-down”, recovery and chase.

March 1, 2015:

This is a new month with no possible photos yet!  Here’s just one shot from the last day of February.

February 2015 Daily Updates & Photos for Grand Teton National Park & JH:

Check back later in the day for a few images from today. MJ

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Usually A Symbol of Grace and Serenity, Trumpeter Swans Can Also Be Fiercely Protective.

Most people see Trumpeter Swans gracefully swimming in the calm waters of Flat Creek, the Snake River or even the Yellowstone River. They are equally graceful in flight. Take-offs and landings can be somewhat chaotic, but always fun to observe and challenging to photograph. If not in flight, watching Swans mill around and feed is a bit like watching paint dry. After a few hundred shots in various poses, against cattails and over their own reflections, I find myself hoping for “some action”. After preening, or after leaving the water, they’ll usually stretch their wings to even out their feathers. During the winter months, many of the wild Trumpeters spend their day in Jackson Hole moving from open water to other open waters—including the aerated pond at Boyle’s Hill. In such tight quarters, it is possible to find Trumpeters displaying uncharacteristically fierce behavior. Perhaps it is simply a matter of protecting their turf—or ice in this case—or possibly one adult getting too close to the Cygnets of another family. All hell can break loose! Feathers can fly and blood is a possibility.

The sequence below was taken with a Nikon D4 using a Tamron 150-600mm lens at Boyle’s Hill. Once I saw the action beginning, I pressed the shutter and recorded around 35 shots over a period of only four or five seconds. During such an event, every Swan in the area will be “honking” and most will be flapping their wings—even if not part of the action.

Once the skirmish is over, the Trumpeters take part in a victory dance. If you’d like to read more about Trumpeter Swans, hear their honking sound, and see a range map, click: Trumpeter Swan, All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Here’s a link to a previous Feature Post at Best of the Tetons. It includes a map and more info on the area: Trumpeter Swans of Boyle’s Hill:

Body and Lens Comments: A Nikon D4 or D4s can take around 90 images in a continuous burst before filling the buffer—and at roughly 10 to 11 frames per second! A Nikon D800 or D810 will begin to fill the buffer at roughly 12 frames and will shoot at only 5 fps in FX mode. (there are options for faster shooting in DX). My D4 came through for me in this case, allowing me to capture all of the action over the entire duration. For this page, I left out about every other image in the sequence, picking the one with the best action or showing the most heads. Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 600 mm, 1/1600 at f/8, Manual Mode, -1 EV,  ISO 220. I was set up in Manual Mode with Auto ISO set as the variable. Other than cropping top and bottom, these are full width captures.

During the busy summer months, people visit Best of the Tetons in preparation for a visit, or simply to see what is currently happening. During the less busy months of the year, I try to add in a few “how-to” articles and topics that can translate equally well to their home areas. This page shows an event most people will never see. Please, if you like the page and feel any of your friends will enjoy it, click on any of the Social Media icons and share it with the rest of the world.

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 A Taboo for Some Purists, Cropping in Post Can Be Rewarding and Instructional

Most DSLR cameras capture an image in roughly  a 2:3 in aspect ratio. If printed without a crop, a full image might be 6″ x 9″, 12″ x 18″ or 24′ x 36″—or any similar proportion. When I post images on Best of the Tetons, I often crop the images to a 1:2 or even 1:3 aspect ratio to save space on the page and reduce download times and bandwidth usage. Over the past year and a half of making the posts, I have begun to “see” shots that I know will be later cropped. I am learning to “see” in pano opportunities better than before writing and posting to the blog.

On this page, I will go through some of my decision making process using this recent image. Maybe it will help you isolate smaller “gems”.

Full Capture: This is the Box L Ranch on Spring Gulch Road, part of the Lucas family homestead from long ago. I pass the ranch regularly. On some days, the golden willows light up brightly and are complimented (literally) by the blue in the distant mountains. Red barns are always eye catchers. Back in the stock photography days, I always heard “red sells”. When I ask a wrangler or cowboy to “cowboy up” for me, I usually ask if they have a red scarf. Anyway, a red barn often adds to a scene…and throw in a green truck to compliment the red…you get a second complimentary color combination. In the summer, the sun is far to the north and this side of the barn is in shadows. There’s a lot of “clutter” around this barn, but that’s a reality in almost all farm and barn scenes. Farmers and ranchers are notoriously frugal and seldom throw things away.

I sat in my vehicle and took this image with a Nikon D4 and a Tamron 150-600mm lens with the image stabilization feature turned on. The engine was OFF and I used a bean bag to help hold the lens and body still. There aren’t many good spots to pull off the road on Spring Gulch road, but I occasionally pull off as far as I can and shoot with a tripod. I took this shot “loose”, knowing I could crop it to taste later. Normally, I’d used a D800 for this kind of image, but that day, I was testing out the AF Fine Tuning on the lens and body combination. The 35mpx D800 gives me a lot more pixels for later cropping.

First Wide Crop: When I took this shot originally, I allowed for the mountains to loom over the scene, but I don’t really think I ever considered them essential to the scene. The “in-camera” composition is logical. I wouldn’t have needed to capture more of the snow field at the bottom and I wouldn’t have wanted to crop the top at the top edge of the tallest tree. As I mentioned earlier, I shot this one knowing I’d be cropping later, assuming I used the photo at all. The far left edge of the red barn on the left is running along the left edge of the image. Normally, that would be a huge red flag or “no-no”. I wasn’t sure where I’d crop the left edge. Someone taking this image with a large format film camera might analyze and compose this shot a long time before making a $10 exposure. Right? But, that’s not me! The practical artist takes over a shoot like this.

Second Wide Crop: In Lightroom, I was able to do my creative crops with no fear of damaging my original image. I even made a couple of Virtual Copies along the way. (Photo>Create Virtual Copy). In this version, I cropped off a little more of the snow at the base.

Third Wide Crop: After the previous small crop, I decided to take off a little from the top to allow more of the orange dominate the left side. For practical purposes, this is roughly a 1:3 aspect ratio now.

First Side Crop: The red barn on the left was taking too much attention from the old red barn. There was some unnecessary info on the far right.

Second Side Crop: Again, I didn’t like the red corner and white trim on the left barn.  I pulled in a little more on both sides.

Third Side Crop: Last crop…I didn’t like the diagonal gate brace pulling my eyes out of the scene on the left, however I liked the single bright fence post to act as a “stop”on the left. On the right, I liked the way the angled boards hold your eye in the frame. For my purposes, this is the final crop. I ended up with roughly a 1:2 aspect image.

Gallery Wrap Crop: If you ever plan to do “gallery wraps”, you need to shoot and crop a little “loose” to allow for the wrapped edges. If you are planning on having an image matted, you also need to allow a little bit of image to rest behind the mats as indicated with the extra light area above. In reality, that’s usually around 1/4″ on most prints.

Final Crop: For a web image or a print image, the crop is applied to the actual edges. There’s still a bit of “activity” in the upper left corner that might draw attention away from the subjects. I could burn that down some. The left fence post is a little bright. I could burn it down some, too. There are two posts sharing a line at the bottom of the roof line on the right side of the frame. I’d prefer they “break” the roof line instead of share it, but that’d mean getting quite a bit lower for the shot or doing some post processing cloning. If I were to actually paint this scene, I’d simply draw or paint them higher. Overall, there’s a nice rhythm to the scene. In other words, your eyes are drawn into the scene and then unconsciously pulled in a circular motion throughout it. Look again, and you will see it! You’ll likely see the red face of the barn with a split second focus on the right window. Your eyes will follow the lines of the metal roof to the truck, down the culvert, up the willows and back to the barn. Lastly, your eyes will follow the diagonals from the gate posts to the green truck where it is stopped by the vertical wood wall.

Artistic Effects: The examples above this image are typical of quick edits I can do in Lightroom before taking them to Photoshop for final tweaking and fine tuning. I added some textures, tonal adjustments and artistic effects here.

Second Actual Capture: I took only two compositions that day. After going through all the cropping steps above on the full image, the second shot that day was amazingly close to my cropped results from the first image.

If I went back to the same place with similar light and shadows, I’d probably take one more tight shot that more closely resembles the crop of the loose image in the first example. I like the additional trees and I like the way the culvert “ends” in the first image. In this one, the culvert takes me out of the scene. If I needed an extra high resolution shot, I could set up the tripod and do a three or four shot image, taken with the camera in portrait or vertical orientation, then stitch them into a single high resolution panoramic image.

On many landscapes, I shoot a normal image of the scene, then I start looking a potential tight pano crop. If if am “on my game”, I see it then and there. Other times, I see it on the computer and go back for the tight crop. The Teton Range is great for this process. Most of us naturally take that big vista scene. Call it the “obligatory” shot. Within that shot, there are probably two or three additional tight shots that can be of even more interest—sometimes requiring a short telephoto lens like a 70-200mm. With no clouds above the Tetons, I begin by looking for the tight shots.

Lastly, unless I am needing to capture a shot to fit a specific frame or the cover of a magazine, don’t feel at all limited by the 2:3 aspect ratio of the camera’s sensor. Back in my college days and art days, it was possible to buy pre-stretched canvasses in sizes like 18″x24″ or 2’x3′. We were taught how to make our own frames an stretch canvasses of our own choosing or needs. With online companies like American Frame Corporation – Custom Picture Frames:, you can order frames and mats of ANY size. No need to be conventional or limited by old standards. Of course, these reflect my personal values and training. Yours might be completely different! Variety, after all, is the spice of life!

Note: I didn’t add my copyright signature to these images but please remember they are still copyrighted. Other images on this site are also protected. Please refer to this Feature Post: THE SEVEN DEADLY MYTHS OF INTERNET COPYRIGHT:

If you like this post, please share it using any of the Social Media Icons below. Thanks! Mike Jackson

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