High dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is a technique that captures a greater range of light intensities than normal digital imaging. It was originally developed in the 1930s-1940s to capture details in high contrast scenes like nuclear explosions. The modern technique involves combining multiple digital images taken at different exposures into a single HDR image, allowing both extremely bright and dark areas to be visible. Tone mapping is then used to display the high contrast HDR images on devices with lower dynamic ranges, like computer screens.