Have you ever heard of a neutral density filter (often called an ND grad filter)? Neutral density means there is no coloration and the filter is a dark one. The grad simply means there is a gradation from a darker area transitioning a transparent area. Used carefully, in the landscape this can make a staggering difference to produce dark and dramatic skies and for other great effects. It can also be used to help balance out the intensity of light in your pictures that can be seen between the bright sky and the landscape, which is often a lot darker depending on the lighting conditions.
Let's imagine you plan to get a picture of a house with a neutral density grad filter. Most of the time you would want to balance the exposure. As mentioned above, this can be very useful if you have a glaringly bright sky and a dull foreground. By putting the grad filter in the slot in the holder of your lens, you can slide the grey grad filter down over the horizon.
Supposing it's a bright sunny day, the building we are shooting would be lit up by the sun and you would most likely select a softer gradation. On a cloudy day with relatively flat lighting you want to accentuate the clouds and bring them out a little bit more.
The secret technique with these is that you need to bring them down so that the gradation begins just above the horizon line. With a smaller aperture, that transition is going to be more obvious because you have a much larger depth of field, meaning what's nearer the lens will be more in focus so the transition effect will become more obvious.
We can work with an aperture priority or a shutter priority and the camera will calculate the other settings, there is no need to worry about all of the manual settings.
When you buy a new grey grad filter, it should come together with a holder so that you can slot it over the front of your lens and move it up and down to get the ideal position.
If you're planning to start shooting with filters this is a great place to start because it isn't complex.
Let's imagine you plan to get a picture of a house with a neutral density grad filter. Most of the time you would want to balance the exposure. As mentioned above, this can be very useful if you have a glaringly bright sky and a dull foreground. By putting the grad filter in the slot in the holder of your lens, you can slide the grey grad filter down over the horizon.
Supposing it's a bright sunny day, the building we are shooting would be lit up by the sun and you would most likely select a softer gradation. On a cloudy day with relatively flat lighting you want to accentuate the clouds and bring them out a little bit more.
The secret technique with these is that you need to bring them down so that the gradation begins just above the horizon line. With a smaller aperture, that transition is going to be more obvious because you have a much larger depth of field, meaning what's nearer the lens will be more in focus so the transition effect will become more obvious.
We can work with an aperture priority or a shutter priority and the camera will calculate the other settings, there is no need to worry about all of the manual settings.
When you buy a new grey grad filter, it should come together with a holder so that you can slot it over the front of your lens and move it up and down to get the ideal position.
If you're planning to start shooting with filters this is a great place to start because it isn't complex.
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