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.
Let's imagine it's a bright sunny day, the house in the picture would be illuminated by the sun and we would probably go for a softer gradation. On a cloudy day with relatively flat lighting it would work well if we accentuate the clouds and bring them out a little bit more.
The secret to using these is that you need to slide them down so that the gradation begins just above the level of the horizon. With a smaller aperture, that change will become more apparent because you have a much longer depth of field, meaning what's closer to the lens is going to be more in focus so the transition effect will become more obvious.
You can use an aperture priority or a shutter priority and the camera will calculate the other settings, you don't have to spend time worrying about all of the manual settings to use one.
When you buy a new lens filter, it usually comes with a holder so that you can slide it over the front of your lens and slide it up and down to get the perfect 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.
Let's imagine it's a bright sunny day, the house in the picture would be illuminated by the sun and we would probably go for a softer gradation. On a cloudy day with relatively flat lighting it would work well if we accentuate the clouds and bring them out a little bit more.
The secret to using these is that you need to slide them down so that the gradation begins just above the level of the horizon. With a smaller aperture, that change will become more apparent because you have a much longer depth of field, meaning what's closer to the lens is going to be more in focus so the transition effect will become more obvious.
You can use an aperture priority or a shutter priority and the camera will calculate the other settings, you don't have to spend time worrying about all of the manual settings to use one.
When you buy a new lens filter, it usually comes with a holder so that you can slide it over the front of your lens and slide it up and down to get the perfect 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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