HDR Gone Wild

Dear realtors and designers, HDR is not your friend. I know you think that High Dynamic Range imaging is totally awesome! and the answer to all your exposure problems! But it's not. You are abusing it, and your pictures still look crappy, but now they look fake and crappy. Like they got facelifts way before their time. Hey, I know it's hard to take a decent picture when it's really really bright over here but really really dark over there, but if you don't want your homes to look like they got spraytans and fake boobs and wear spanx even while showering, then STOP IT.

hdr bad

This house is not real, so don't feel bad if your home doesn't measure up.

hdr bad

hdr bad

If there are no areas of black in your picture, it looks flat and janky. Trust me, we don't need to see the detail in every single leaf of ivy over there in the corner. Just let it fade to black.

Photographs are beautiful because they reveal and conceal through light and shadow. Dudes, you gotta remember to employ a little mystery here. Otherwise your pictures look like airbrushed 40 year old strippers.

If you don't know what High Dynamic Range photography is, you can read about it here. And then you can forget all about it unless you are going for an artsy look. And even then, don't say I didn't warn you.