Luminescence of Nature Photography announces the immediate release of The Photographer's Guide to HDR Efex Pro, a new photography guide by Dr. Jason P. Odell and Tony Sweet. Dr. Odell & Mr. Sweet's book provides photographers with the definitive resource for using Nik Software's HDR tone-mapping software, HDR Efex Pro. Part technical manual and part fine-art gallery, The Photographer's Guide to HDR Efex Pro is available from Luminescence of Nature Press as a downloadable PDF file that is user-printable and Apple iPad compatible.

(PRWEB) December 20, 2010 -- Luminescence of Nature Photography is pleased to announce the release of The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro, a new PDF ebook representing the authoritative resource for photographers using the popular HDR Efex Pro software plug-in from Nik Software. Authored by well-known photographers Jason P. Odell, Ph.D. and Tony Sweet, The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro is a comprehensive manual for photographers wishing to create HDR images.

HDR tone-mapping is a process by which multiple images of the same scene are blended together to capture a wider range of highlight and shadow detail than what a single exposure could produce. With the HDR Efex Pro application, photographers can create image styles that range from hyper-realistic to incredibly surreal. What Dr. Odell and Mr. Sweet bring to the table are real-world explanations of every tool found in the software. More importantly, the two photographers add their insight on how and why to use each tool, rather than just define their function. "Every aspect of Nik's HDR Efex Pro was explored, explained, and illustrated,” says co-author Tony Sweet. "From the beginner to the experienced, this book is the essential companion to HDR Efex Pro."

The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro is a 188-page manual that combines technical explanations of the HDR Efex Pro software with a fine-art photographer’s artistic approach to imagery. Every page contains full-color captures of the software controls and logical, clear explanations of their use. Readers are also taken through step by-step processes of HDR tone-mapping to create a wide variety of styles. Dr. Odell & Mr. Sweet have created fourteen custom software presets, which are included with the eBook. “We wanted readers to have both a software manual and a behind the scenes look at the creative process behind our HDR images,” explained Dr. Odell. “Every image in the book’s gallery pages has both an artistic and technical description.”

The Photographer’s Guide to HDR Efex Pro is available as a user-printable PDF document from Luminescence of Nature Press. The PDF file is Acrobat 7.0 compliant, and can be viewed on both Windows and Macintosh computers. It is also viewable on e-Book readers that support the PDF format, including Apple’s iPad via iBooks. Fine-art prints of the gallery photos are also available from the authors by request.
For more information, visit The Photographer's Guide to HDR Efex Pro online.

An online gallery of the author's HDR images from the Guide is available here.

About the authors:
Dr. Jason P. Odell established Luminescence of Nature Photography, dedicated to outdoor photography and photographic education, in 2004. In addition to writing, he conducts field photography workshops and software training classes for photographers around the world.

Jason is the co-host of the biweekly photography podcast, The Image Doctors, which has aired on iTunes since 2005.

Jason is the author of several eBooks on digital photography, including:

The Photographer’s Guide to Capture NX (2006)
The Photographer’s Guide to Capture NX2 (2008)
The Photographer’s Guide to Silver Efex Pro (2009)
The Photographer’s Guide to Digital Landscapes (2010)

Tony Sweet
Tony Sweet’s photography is published worldwide in every medium. His work is represented by the Getty Picture Agency. His images are also used by Nikon, Nik Software, Singh-Ray, Alien Skin, Lensbaby, and others for national ad campaigns.

Tony conducts Visual Artistry photography location workshops, and maintains an active speaking schedule to photography organizations, industry trade shows, and PPA schools throughout the continental United States and Canada. Tony’s articles and images are featured in Shutterbug and Rangefinder magazines, and is a contributor at Nikonnet.com. He is a staff writer for Nikon World magazine, and an instructor at betterphoto.com.

Tony has authored five books on the art of photography:

Fine Art Nature Photography (‘02)
Fine Art Flower Photography (‘05)
Fine Art Nature Photography: Water, Ice, Fog (‘07)
Fine Art Digital Photography (’09)
HDR Photography (summer 2011)

Tony is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens, a charter member of Nik Software’s Team Nik, a Lensbaby Guru, and a Bogen mentor.

Website: http://www.tonysweet.com

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