http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=587684
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4095131
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4125044
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6051141
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5279368
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6127828
http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=1353935
http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=1652740
http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=1572338
http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=613754
http://photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=327349
Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
ND filters .... Extract form popphoto
Neutral Density 101
Our eyes (and brains) are amazing -- they can look at a landscape and see a color-dense, spectacular sky and detailed, intricately-shadowed land, all at once. Our cameras…not so much.
That's where the split neutral-density filter comes in. It's typically a square piece of glass that fits into a holder that in turn fits in front of the lens. Half of it is dark. The simple genius: It cuts the exposure on top (or, for that matter, the bottom or the side), so you can take one picture that gets the light right for the whole scene.
When you're looking at a distinct horizon, you'll want one that has a relatively sharp line between darkened and clear (a hard-edge filter). When you're looking at a scene where the brightness fades, you'll want a soft (graduated) filter. If the sky is on the bright side, try one where the dark half is 3 stops dimmer than the clear half. If the sun is lower, try your 2-stop. The rest is nuance.
How to Meter
There are two ways to figure out which filter you need: Trial-and-error or measuring the light. Either way, first set your camera to manual mode, then meter for the dark parts of your image -- usually the ground.
If you want to eyeball it, put on your 3-stop filter, take a shot, and check your LCD. If you're losing too much sky, or if it's unnaturally dark, switch to the 2-stop.
For precision, meter for the sky, determine how many f-stops brighter it is than the ground, then pick the corresponding filter.
When to Use Software
Getting your photo right with filters will save you a lot of time, but there are times when you'll need additional help from Photoshop. In the shot on the previous page, a big sea stack intersected the line where the filter transitioned from dark to light. Not even a soft graduation helped.
Adamus solved the problem by shooting the scene twice, with and without the graduated neutral-density filter. Then he combined the shots in Photoshop to create exactly the image he envisioned when he saw the scene. Here's how you can do the same thing: Click here for the steps.
Marc Adamus proves that it can actually be easier to make bright, sharp, dramatic landscapes in the camera with a split neutral-density filter. Who would have thought that -- with occasional aid from Photoshop -- making something so beautiful could be so simple?
Our eyes (and brains) are amazing -- they can look at a landscape and see a color-dense, spectacular sky and detailed, intricately-shadowed land, all at once. Our cameras…not so much.
That's where the split neutral-density filter comes in. It's typically a square piece of glass that fits into a holder that in turn fits in front of the lens. Half of it is dark. The simple genius: It cuts the exposure on top (or, for that matter, the bottom or the side), so you can take one picture that gets the light right for the whole scene.
When you're looking at a distinct horizon, you'll want one that has a relatively sharp line between darkened and clear (a hard-edge filter). When you're looking at a scene where the brightness fades, you'll want a soft (graduated) filter. If the sky is on the bright side, try one where the dark half is 3 stops dimmer than the clear half. If the sun is lower, try your 2-stop. The rest is nuance.
How to Meter
There are two ways to figure out which filter you need: Trial-and-error or measuring the light. Either way, first set your camera to manual mode, then meter for the dark parts of your image -- usually the ground.
If you want to eyeball it, put on your 3-stop filter, take a shot, and check your LCD. If you're losing too much sky, or if it's unnaturally dark, switch to the 2-stop.
For precision, meter for the sky, determine how many f-stops brighter it is than the ground, then pick the corresponding filter.
When to Use Software
Getting your photo right with filters will save you a lot of time, but there are times when you'll need additional help from Photoshop. In the shot on the previous page, a big sea stack intersected the line where the filter transitioned from dark to light. Not even a soft graduation helped.
Adamus solved the problem by shooting the scene twice, with and without the graduated neutral-density filter. Then he combined the shots in Photoshop to create exactly the image he envisioned when he saw the scene. Here's how you can do the same thing: Click here for the steps.
Marc Adamus proves that it can actually be easier to make bright, sharp, dramatic landscapes in the camera with a split neutral-density filter. Who would have thought that -- with occasional aid from Photoshop -- making something so beautiful could be so simple?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)