CREATIVE PROJECTS
Boost washed-out skies with an ND grad .............................
Use a graduated neutral density filter on your
lens to improve detail and colour in skies
I
n the second part of our series
on using lens filters we’re going
to show you how you can boost
washed-out skies with the aid
of a graduated neutral density filter, or ND
grad for short. When you shoot land-
scapes, scenes will often have a greater
contrast range than the camera can record.
Typically, if you meter for the foreground,
a bright sky will be over-
exposed, while if you meter for the sky,
the darker foreground will be under-ex-posed, and this is where a graduated
neutral density filter comes in handy.
These filters gradate from transparent
neutral grey to clear, and by positioning
the dark part of the filter over the
brightest part of the scene – usually the
sky – you can reduce the amount of light
reaching the top of the frame to capture a
balanced exposure.
There are couple of things to consider
when choosing a filter. First, there are two
types – the square slot-in filters and thecircular screw-on variety. If you’re using
square filters you’ll need a filter holder,
which attaches to your lens via an adaptor
ring; these are available in different
sizes. Second, filters come in a range of
densities, typically offering one, two, three
and sometimes four stops of reduction
in light, in ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ transitions. In
this project we’ll show you how to fit a
graduated neutral density filter, and how to
work out which density of filter is required
to get the perfect landscape shot.