Category: Filters
All About Neutral Density Filters (Video)
If you are not familiar with neutral density filters, I can promise you that adding one to your arsenal will dramatically impact your photography. It puts you in control of the water, whether that is the waves of an ocean, currents in a creek, or the appearance of a downtown fountain. It also allows you… Continue reading All About Neutral Density Filters (Video)
Which Filters Do I Need?
As photography has advanced, filters become less and less necessary. The old black and white photographers used a lot of filters. Now we use very few (and some photographers use none at all). The only filters I personally use – or that I really think are useful – are Polarizing filters, Neutral Density filters, and Graduated… Continue reading Which Filters Do I Need?
Should I Get a Variable Strength Neutral Density Filter?
I do not recommend that you purchase a variable strength neutral density (ND) filter. If you are familiar with these filters, that might surprise you. It is not that I don’t agree that they are a wonderful idea, it is just that I don’t think they work properly. Instead, I think you should buy normal… Continue reading Should I Get a Variable Strength Neutral Density Filter?
What Strength Neutral Density Filter Should I Buy?
Common strengths of neutral density (ND) filters are 3-stop, 6-stop, and 10-stop. I recommend that you start with a 6-stop, but any of them will be fine. I find that a 6-stop filter is powerful enough to achieve virtually any goals I might have in terms of lengthening my shutter speed. At the same time,… Continue reading What Strength Neutral Density Filter Should I Buy?
Buying a Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Elsewhere, we have covered how to deal with extreme dynamic range problems in outdoor photography. We have looked at solutions involving post-processing and even spent some time on HDR techniques. But what if there was a way to deal with the problem of dynamic range in-camera? Turns out, there is. It is called the graduated neutral density filter… Continue reading Buying a Graduated Neutral Density Filter
All About Polarizing Filters
You need very few filters in modern digital photography. One you should get, however, is a polarizing filter. Why? They just make your photos look a lot better coming out of the camera in many situations. They are a simple way to: make the skies in your pictures a deeper, richer blue make certain colors in… Continue reading All About Polarizing Filters