Mark S. Johnson Photography

In order to create a true HDR photograph, it’s necessary to capture two or more exposure-bracketed images, then tone map them into one file using a program such as Photomatix Pro. Like most things in the creative world, however, there’s more than one way to approach the HDR process.

Believe it or not, it’s possible to capture only one frame and tone map it into a surreal or grungy scene using a few sneaky workarounds in Photomatix Pro. Think of this as an alternative HDR approach that produces its own unique look. To achieve the most satisfying single-image results, it’s best to work with an image that doesn’t exhibit blown out highlights or blocked up shadows. My thanks goes out to Tony Sweet for engineering this method and to Steve Orr for introducing me to it.