High dynamic range (HDR) is a term used in digital photography where a photograph is taken at multiple exposures, usually three, with the camera mounted on a tripod to minimize movement. Then computer software merges the underexposed, normal, and overexposed images to create a photo that presents the full range of color that is seen by the human eye. This process is used to create more realistic images and by over-saturating the colors some quite surrealistic images (See Ben Wilmore’s galleries) can be created as demonstrated by the photo of our home.
In some ways this is how our own mental perceptions work. We see a situation and instead of seeing it for what it is, our mind begins to weave a story that can create an outcome that is far removed from the reality of what we are observing. How do we bring ourselves to radical presence and cultivate a deep listening without being seduced by our own judgements and projections? I find the relationship between photography and how we embrace our everyday experiences quite profound. In photography, there is the desire to capture the sacredness and emotional flavor of the moment. When we explore the conversational frontier with a loved one, our work, or ourselves, are we not looking for the sacred ground that connects us at a soul level, where our perceptions diminish and we surrender to a vulnerability that brings forth what is hidden but we long to reveal.
Let us participate in the world with our full dynamic range of who we are, and as David Whyte, the poet writes in All the True Vows;