The World We Know (in HDR)

Ever step outside at 5:45am to walk your dog and notice how the world is a lot more beautiful than it usually looks? Of course, we've all had this moment. It has to have something to do with the brisk fresh air, the contrast of the brights and the darks in the sky, and perhaps also the inherent promises of a new day and beginning.

At any rate, as I was staggering around outside a couple of days ago, I was struck by the beauty of the sun starting to cut through the clouds. Like any good media arts teacher, I hauled the poor dog inside (he didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for our surroundings, except to try to pee on them frequently), set up my tripod, and starting snapping photos like an inspired madman.

Here are some of the results. For those of you who aren't aspiring amateur photographers, they are High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos, which means that they combine three different photographs - one overexposed, one underexposed, and one with perfect exposure - to create one super photo that generally contains far more detail than we can see with the human eye. They look a little trippy, and they're not for everyone, but I thought they did a decent job of capturing the beauty of the world we all know but often take for granted.

Sun rises in Court 3.

Craig Henry Drive at 5:45.

The grass is definitely greener on the other side of the road.

Admittedly, I'm not always attuned to the aesthetic charms of the landscape when I first wake up in the morning. I'd like to get a little better at noticing things. Maybe that will be another project for this summer.

Until next time...