Filter use?

[cookincanuck]

I took this photo on a family hike last weekend. Even though the yellows of the leaves show up in this photo, they do not appear as brilliant as they were in person. (In other photos I took, the sky was really blown-out while the exposure on the rest of the photo was okay.) Is this is a situation where I would use a filter? Or should I be doing something different with the settings on my camera? Thank you.



Canon Rebel Xsi
Lens 24-70mm
ISO 200
Focal length 24mm
Aperture f/11.0
Shutter 1/80

[RichardTaylor]

Beautiful hiking country and I do like your photograph.

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A graduated neutral density filter (ND grad) will help control the sky, or you could take multiple exposures and combine them when PPing.

A polariser may help (depending on the light) saturate the colours more, or you may want to selectively saturate some of the colours when post processing.

Your camera settings look fine. Are you shooting RAW?

[cookincanuck]

Thanks so much for your feedback. I have started to shoot in RAW more and more (particularly for my food photos), but this one was a .jpg. I realize that limits me for PP.

Pardon my ignorance, but can you explain the difference between the ND grad and the polariser? When would it be appropriate to use one over the other? Maybe that requires a long answer. If so, I'll look around on this site for more info.

[Doug Sundseth]

Three useful types of filters:

ND (Neutral Density) - This is a dark filter with a (nominally) neutral color that won't affect the color balance of the image. Essentially, this is sunglasses for your camera. It allows longer exposure than would otherwise be allowed for a given combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Useful for smoothing out running water, getting motion blur in direct sunlight, and the like.

ND Grad (Graduated Neutral Density) - This is a neutral filter that has different densities (darknesses) in different places. Most commonly, this is darker at the top and clear at the bottom. This allows you to darken a very bright top (usually) of an image while not darkening a darker bottom. Useful for bright skies with a relatively smooth horizon line and darker foreground.

Circular Polarizer - Differentially cuts light depending on polarization. Light that is reflected from many surfaces is polarized preferentially in a single direction. If you turn the polarizer so its polarization is perpendicular to the polarization of the light, the polarized light will be cut significantly. Commonly used to kill reflections on the surface of water or darken blue sky.

A circular polarizer has little effect on light when you are pointing near the sun. It also has a differential effect depending on the angle between the sky and the sun, which can be a problem when shooting wide. An ND Grad has problems when the horizon is not smooth (trees, mountains, buildings, people can cause this) and has no effect on water reflections.

[cookincanuck]

Thank you so much, Doug! That is really helpful. Now to start playing with filters/polarizers.

Dara

[Krusty79]

Since your shot does not include a bright sky, a circular polarizer may have helped bring out the colors. It is most effective at a 90 degree angle relative to the sun. Everyone should have one.

Sometimes setting the black and white points in an image will give it some "pop." Here's a tutorial on that - Levels: Getting the Professional 'Pop'

[EOBeav]

My thoughts on ND filters are well known: Don't.

That said, a circular polarizer would be a good choice here to bring out some fall colors. You said you're shooting RAW. How are you processing those? You might want to consider investing in Lightroom, if you haven't already. That will allow you to manipulate those colors in a fairly straightforward environment. All of those brilliant colors you see on the internet? They're manipulated to some degree, in Lightroom, Photoshop, etc...

[cookincanuck]

Thank you for everyone's opinions. It sounds like, at the very least, I should buy a circular polarizer.

EOBeav, I typically shoot in RAW, but this shot is a .jpg. Lightroom 3 is on my list to buy (too many camera things I want to buy on a limited budget) and know I need to do so soon. Right now, I am limited to the photo processing in iPhoto.