Using ND (Neutral Density) Filters to Beautify Midday Captured Landscape Photography

[omniscapephotography]

Hi All,

This is a post from a blog I run called Landscape Photography Tips & More | The Omniscape Photography Blog, enjoy!

"As some of you know I recently drove from Windsor, Ontario to Alaska to photograph Grizzly Bears. This trip took me through some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I had my full arsenal of cameras, lenses, and tripods for this trip so I was able to take a lot of photos along the way, but not as many as you may be thinking. Let me explain why.

When it comes to landscape photography, there’s really only an hour or two of good photo light and this comes at sunrise and sunset. And this really only applies if the weather allows for this good light. I was driving anywhere from 10-18 hours a day. That means for 8-16 hours a day, I was driving during poor photo light. I drove through so many amazingly beautiful areas and didn’t even take out my camera because in the end, the photo would look blah. It would still be a photo of a beautiful place, but when it comes to selling photos, mine have to be better than the competition and shooting landscapes at midday is no way of accomplishing that.

That being said, there are still ways to capture landscape images successfully in the middle of the day. There’s black and white, HDR (high dynamic range), and using filters. For the flowing water photo I created entitled “Toad River” I chose the filter option.



With the lighting being so uneven, I decided to use a 2-stop split neutral density filter. This allowed me to slow down my shutter speed enough to sort of give the water a flowing look as well as correctly expose the sky and foreground.

If you’re unfamiliar with split ND filters, I’ll try to explain how they work. Basically, they are a square/rectangular piece of glass. One half is shaded and it gradually fades to clear about midway down the filter. This way you can choose the exact point of the photo to darken. For further examples of ND filters, a google search will reveal all your hearts desire.

Instead of shooting this the way I originally did, I could have re-composed it showing almost all water and no sky and fully covering my lens with the ND filter to darken the entire image by 2-stops rather than just half of it. I feel, however, that the clouds add a sense of drama to the photo.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below this blog or email me directly at brandon@omniscapephotography.com.

Thanks for reading!
Brandon Broderick"

[Chapperingo]

Nice shot !
I need to get myself some ND grads but they are rather expensive for my budget ...
Oh well I'll stick with HDR and merging brackets
Nice quick tutorial as well thanks

[karuna01]

Filters are not expensive but they are worthwhile. I like becoz i'm not much for photo editing.
Cokin Filters recommended if u fond of using a lot of filters (need to get a kit)
or
try
LCW Home which claims to have several ND in a single filter , this circular screw type filter. the only drag is that it goes according to filter size.

[karuna01]

Nice Shot. Have u tried using Polarizing Filter during day times (To counter daylight brightness)

[Fernando]

Great shot
I have been looking to buy some graduated split ND filters, the square kind are the most practical if you ask me since you can easily move them up and down should you want the horizon to be in either top or bottom 2/3rds of the shot. Where did you get your filter and holder? I've seen a few cheapo's on straight from Hong Kong websites and ebay, but not sure if they would be good enough?

[Shutterbugdeb]

What a dramatic and striking picture. It must have been a photographer's dream!

[BrandonBroderick]

karuna01, I do use polarizing filters for some shots but the majority of the time I use split ND or sometimes just shoot in HDR.

Fernando, I use Cokin filters but I don't use the filter holder at all. I just hold the filter flush with the lens.

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by Fernando

Great shot
I have been looking to buy some graduated split ND filters, the square kind are the most practical if you ask me since you can easily move them up and down should you want the horizon to be in either top or bottom 2/3rds of the shot. Where did you get your filter and holder? I've seen a few cheapo's on straight from Hong Kong websites and ebay, but not sure if they would be good enough?

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would buy the screw-in types that force you to put the horizon in the middle of your shot. I would look at the Cokin holder if you're on a budget or the Lee one if you have the $. I have a Lee .6 (2 stop) graduated ND filter. I also hold mine by hand.

Does anyone else have the problem with the filter producing glare in the shot? Do I have to start bringing an umbrella or something to combat that? Does a filter holder help prevent that?