Shooting with a Neutral Density Filter
I’ve heard of Neutral Density (ND) filters being described as ‘sun glasses for your lenses’. While this is kind of accurate, there is much more to neutral density filters than that. To be more accurate, an ND filter is like a pair of sunglasses that does not change the color temperature of the light coming through the filter…hence the modifier ‘neutral’. There are many uses for neutral density filters and most people only ever tap the surface of their usefulness.
For most of us, an ND filter will screw onto the threads at the end of our lens. ND filters can be bought in different intensities to allow us to control the amount of light entering the lens. You can get ND filters that are the equivalent of F-stop reduction of 2, 4, and even 6 F-stops.
Bright Light
The idea of shooting in a very brightly lit setting can cause many shutterbugs to start panicking. Rest easy, a neutral density filter can really help in these situations. If you want to use a larger aperture or a slower shutter speed in high key or brightly lit setting, an ND filter can allow you to do so. There are many different reasons to shoot at a larger aperture or slower shutter speed. Here are a few things to try.
Motion Blur
If you want to take a shot of a wintery stream, but want the water to have that motion blur that is achieved by using a slow shutter speed, you might have difficulty with the bright sun reflecting off the surrounding snow. Adding an ND filter can allow you to slow the shutter speed sufficiently to achieve this effect.
Depth of Field
If you want to create a photo of a close up of a flower on a bright sunny day, with the background blurred, then you should zoom into the flower and use a large aperture to throw the background out of focus. The problem occurs when it is too bright for the large aperture. If you shoot with the large aperture, the photo will be over exposed. However, by using an ND filter you can reduce the light entering the lens, thus allowing you to use the large aperture.
Graduated Neutral Density Filter
This filter has the same effects of a normal ND filter, but it slowly (gradually—‘graduated’) fades to clear glass. This type of filter will allow you to shoot things like sunrises and sunsets while keeping the overall picture exposed properly. ND filters aren’t very expensive, so go pick one up and experiment a bit. You will love the control you can achieve by using them.
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Trackback URL | Comments RSS FeedSplit neutral density filters come in two varieties – graduated edge and hard edge. Graduated edge means that there is a soft transition between the dark and soft sections of the filter. Soft edge or graduated split neutral density filters are normally preferred for landscape photography because the transition looks more natural than a hard edge.
Great Digital » Good point, thanks!