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FILTER PHOTOGRAPHY
ND grads are available in three types of graduation. Hard
grads feature a short graduation, and are used for straight horizons
such as at the coast. Medium grads graduate over roughly 2cm,
and are best where elements like trees or hills protrude over the
horizon line. Soft grads have a longer graduation, and are best for
mountainous locations. This doesn’t mean you have to own several
strengths of each filter type: a set of two-stop hard, two-stop
medium and four-stop soft, for instance, will cover most situations.LEARN HOW TO USE
ND GRAD FILTERS
Selecting the right strength and
graduation is the key to successNEUTRAL-DENSITY
GRADUATED FILTERS
Extend dynamic range and maintain
sky detail with these essential filters
THE FILTER HOLDER
The most effective ND grads are the drop-in type, rather than
screw-in, and for these you’ll need a filter holder. This attaches
to the filter thread via an adaptor ring. Most 100mm filters and
holders from different brands are compatible, so you can mix
and match them if you wish. Manufacturers to consider include
LEE Filters, Formatt-Hitech, Cokin, NiSi and Kase.REVERSE ND GRADS
A type of grad that can cause some confusion is the reverse grad.
This filter is designed for scenes where the sun is close to the
horizon, and this area is brighter than the sky above. They have
a hard graduation to full strength in the centre of the filter, then
graduate upwards to no effect at the top. This means the
foreground and top of the sky area are unaffected by the filter.NEUTRAL-DENSITY graduated filters, or ND grads, are
available in different strengths, as well as graduations, so you
can select the filter that best balances the exposure of the sky
with the foreground. They’re typically available in one-, two-,
three- and four-stop strengths where they graduate from the full
strength at the top, to no effect roughly in the centre of the filter.Im
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