Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com
Technique 34
In associationwith Filter tips
It’s well understood that modern digital cameras are pretty amazing; they offer more detailed photos than ever before, dynamic range has increased to the point where a greater range of light can be recorded, and they have metering and exposure modes to cover almost subject you could care to name. So how come it’s still the case that when you point your camera at a pretty landscape scene and take a shot, some parts look fine, while others are too light or too dark? Or how come you can’t use the shutter speed youwant without the scene getting overexposed? Well, that’s because the dynamic range recorded by a camera is still less than what you can see with the naked eye. Cameras can’t help you with this; you need filters. Good landscape photographers know this well; and their maxim goes something like this: “you can’t make the light, but you can make it right.” That’s why if you corner a landscape photographer on a hillside and firmly but fairly rifle through their kitbag, you’ll be sure of finding lots and lots of filters. But which ones? Well, there’s a whole world of them out there to explore, but the ones all landscapers use are these three; neutral density filters, graduated neutral density filters, and polarising filters. Each is explained in this article where we’ll go in the how and the why of these filters; by the end you’ll see why this triumvirate is rightly described as ‘essential’. Filter basics Before we look at each of the essential landscape filters in detail, on the right is some general info on using filters. As you’ll no doubt know, photographic filters are normally attached to the lens using either a holder or by screwing the filter directly into the thread that sits at the end of the lens. This begs the question, “should I go for filters that sit in a holder, or opt for the screw-in variety?”. There are advantages and disadvantages to both... Want to do more landscape shooting and less editing? Then filters are the answer. Here PN explains which filters you need and how to use them... Words Kingsley Singleton Pictures Various
The dynamic range recorded by a camera is still less than what you can see with the naked eye. Cameras can’t help you with this; you need filters
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