“The Blue House”

• Shot on a Nikon d40 at Matilda Bay Boat House
• Aperture: f/8
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/400 | 1/500 | 1/640 | 1/800 | 1/1000

I created this HDR of five images using bracketed exposures at one stop intervals, however, it was all done manually as my Nikon d40 does not have the AEB function. I used a low ISO to reduce noise and grain, and a tripod to ensure I had stability and that all five images would align. Each image was shot in RAW and edited in Camera RAW, enhancing the clarity and sharpness, before merging the files to HDR pro.

Maybe it is the tourist in me, but I really like the Matilda Bay Boat House as a subject matter; the weathered look of the wood and the different blue tones. My end goal for this shot was to have a more realistic looking HDR image, as I think they sometimes can look a bit over processed. I therefore ensured not to make the image too saturated and reduced the halos.

I’ve really enjoyed taking photos with a ‘purpose’ over this semester – aiming to complete the challenge of each keyword. As I’ve finally learnt to go beyond Auto mode, I know I’ll continue to head out with the camera, and hope to continue to develop my photography skills!