The human eye is capable of seeing in a broader range than a digital camera is capable of capturing.  If the eyes were a digital camera it would see in about 576 megapixels.  Most high-end digital cameras capture 20 to 30 megapixels.  In order to capture both the dark shadows and the bright highlights a technique called HDR is used.  Anywhere from 3 to 9 images are taken of the same shot.  The captured images are blended together to produce an image similar to what the human eye can see.