Photos
Thank you everyone for you kind comments.
It is as someone stated HDR (the first series) or High Dynamic Range.
Any camera that has the ability to manually control the exposure can do it although models that have a
Auto Bracketing mode make it much easier and most point and shoots even come with that now days. I cant speak for how well the cameras that include HDR as a built in function (like canons new 5d Mk3) as much of the detail and image quality is a result of tweaking the images in the HDR software after capture but i'm sure they provide decent results. I used Photomatix Pro to merge the images but Photoshop will do it ans there are a bunch of other free and pay versions of software that do it as well.
HDR works really well as the name suggests when there is a wide exposure range in a image like a hangar interior in shade and a bright exterior in sunlight.
If your camera has the auto bracketing function first turn it on and set the bracketing stops to at least +1 and -1. I set mine to +2 and -2 for the shots above. What will happen is the camera will shoot one exposure that is either determined by the camera to be correct or one you told the camera is the correct exposure. I prefer to calculate the ideal exposure myself so I can underexpose a bit which helps to preserve highlight details. The next two will be either 1 or 2 or even 3 "stops" over and under to expose for the shadows or highlights. A company called Promote also makes a handy remote that I sometime use that will allow you to bracket 41 exposures at 1/3 stops if desired. However these were all shot with just three exposures using the built in auto bracketing. By the way I am shooting with a Canon 5dMk2 and most of the hangar shots were shot with a sigma 12-24 wide angel zoom. Traditionally HDR images are usually shot on a tripod because you are combing the shots and any camera movement between shots will cause ghosting as the shots will not line up. All the shots were handheld which will take some practice but can yield decent results.
The other issue you run into is that even if your camera is still if there is any movement in the shots i.e people they will also blur and double expose. To minimize this I keep the shutter speeds as high as I can for the light (I think the interior was 1/320 ISO 400 f5.6) and shot with the drive mode on my camera set to high speed so I can hold the shutter release down and shoot the three shots as quickly as possible. You get really good at judging when people are going to be still for a movement after a while and also get really good at watching your background for movement. Then I make sure to look at a single reference point in the viewfinder and try to hold the camera on it as steady as possible. Holding your breath helps during the shot.
Once you have your three images you import them into your chosen software package and go from there. There are far too many ways to tweak the images when you merge them so I wont go into that because its so different to every shot but you can get very good results from the default settings and go from there.
I believe that Photomatix offers a trial or demo version (
http://www.hdrsoft.com/) that you can try with.
HDR is a fun technique that can yield results that you cannot get any other way and as I mentioned even the most basic point and shoots that allow for auto bracketing will allow you to do it. My personal favorite for a more point and shoot camera that I have found yields awesome results and allows for full manual control is Fuji's new X10. I love mine and whenever I don't have my 5dMk2 2 with me its in my pocket.
All the shots of the takeoff and landing were shot with Canon's excellent and 300mm f2.8 IS which is one of their best lenses ever in my and many others opinion. The overhead shot was also with this 300mm but with a 1.4x attached to give it a effective 420mm focal length at f3.5.
You can also see more examples of some of my HDR work at (
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gx617/) to get a better idea of what you can do with it.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
todd schmidt
also congratulations Scott, another masterpiece! I only wish you would leave it polished so it looks like a flying Airstream!!!!!!!