Landscape Photography and filters

[Jonathan Ashton]

I have been wondering about buying a set of Lee filters - not cheap but supposed to be best. Now this is something that has been bugging me, if for example I used a grad filter to better balance the land exposure and the sky what would be the big advantage over doing bracketed exposure? In my ignorance I can't see much benefit of one approach over the other. Looking at it from a practical point of view I would have thought bracketing was more convenient - I wouldn't have to worry about hard or soft grad filters and skies that did not have a horizontal base to them.
I suspect I am missing something so any advice or comments would be welcome.

[dankearl]

Jonathan, good question....
I use grad filters, usually I just handhold them for exposure unless I am shooting water where I will put one on to slow SS.
I never bracket and hardly ever do multiple shots for exposure. I just think it is a time saver and looks better to get the exposure as
right as possible in camera. Bracketing, unless done very well, just looks HDR to me and takes time to get right in PP.
Some people are very good at it, most are not.
If your PP skills are good, go ahead and use bracketing, but simply holding a grad filter while exposing can help a lot to get a good in camera exposure.
Since I shoot with Nikon cameras, bringing up shadows is pretty easy, so I try to generally get the sky right in exposure where filters really help and
I let the exposure for land fall where it does and I fix that in PP. I do not generally expose to the right, I try for the best exposure I can get and delete files if
the whites are blown at all as I can't fix that.
I don't think you need an expensive filter system, at least not for me.
I think most photogs these days, use multiple shots for focus stacking more than exposure. The new cameras make adjusting exposure in PP so easy....

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Jon - I also use GND filters. I have the Lee Filters. I originally had the 2 stop GND and recently got the 1 stop and 3 stop. Mine are the soft edge and like Dan, I tend to handhold them in front of the lens on a tripod. I keep my pp very simple so don't usually blend, stitch or stack images. Occasionally I will still bracket, sometimes even with the filter, just to have flexibility later when pp. Will be interested to see others' responses too.

Rachel

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi Jon - I also use GND filters. I have the Lee Filters. I originally had the 2 stop GND and recently got the 1 stop and 3 stop. Mine are the soft edge and like Dan, I tend to handhold them in front of the lens on a tripod. I keep my pp very simple so don't usually blend, stitch or stack images. Occasionally I will still bracket, sometimes even with the filter, just to have flexibility later when pp. Will be interested to see others' responses too.

Rachel

Rachel thanks for the reply as you see I don't know much about this stuff! GND = Gradual Neutral density am I correct? I am surprised that you don't use a filter holder - how do you get optimum results hand holding - aren't you subject to flare and non-alignment etc? Also I would have thought there was a good chance of scratching the filter??

[Rachel Hollander]

Jon, GND is Graduated Neutral Density filter. I use a holder with my 16-35mm lens but my favorite landscape lens has become my 70-200 and for that one I tend to just hold the filter in front of the lens, flush to the lens (no hood). I just find it faster to place the horizon that way than using the filter holder. No scratches yet but again I do this with the lens and camera on a tripod so my left hand is free and I just hold the edges of the filter.

Rachel

[Don Lacy]

Jonathan, I own three filters I still use a polarizer and a 5 stop neutral density and 10 stop. I no longer bother with grads and bracket and hand blend all my images in post. For me its just easier and with the same or better results then when I used grads. It did take some time learning the advance techniques of hand blending using luminosity mask but for most of my images its as simple as using the grad tool in PS.
While it is true that with the new sensors especially the Exmor sensor used by both Sony and Nikon that you can pull the shadows in post there is still a noise penalty and for every stop you increase the shadows it has the same effect as increasing the ISO. In other worlds if your image was shot at ISO 100 and you had to increase the shadows 5 0r 6 stops your shadows would have the same noise characteristics as if they were shot at 1600 or 3200 ISO while the rest of the image would be at 100.
So I guess the question is would you rather invest the money for grads or the time in PS to learn the techniques a good set of grad filters will set you back well over 500.00 or I could recommend some tutorials which are about 60.00 each.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thank you Rachel and Don. If you could let me know about those tutorials please Don I would be grateful.

[Don Lacy]

Thank you Rachel and Don. If you could let me know about those tutorials please Don I would be grateful.
I like Sean Bagshaws videos the two i recommend are the complete guide to luminosity mask and extended dynamic range. Also here is a quick video on how to use the grad tool in PS real easy and pretty much replicates what a grad filter would do.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like Sean Bagshaws videos the two i recommend are the complete guide to luminosity mask and extended dynamic range. Also here is a quick video on how to use the grad tool in PS real easy and pretty much replicates what a grad filter would do.

Thanks Don, I will take a look at the suggested videos. I am aware to the grad filter in ACR I do use it. I have decided to buy a set of Kood filters - apparently excellent value not just as good as Lee but 1/3 the cost. I will mix and match techiques to see what I can come up with.

[Don Lacy]

Thanks Don, I will take a look at the suggested videos. I am aware to the grad filter in ACR I do use it. I have decided to buy a set of Kood filters - apparently excellent value not just as good as Lee but 1/3 the cost. I will mix and match techiques to see what I can come up with.
I was so used to filters it took me a long time to stop using them the beauty of blending is you can now get images where a filter is impossible to use like here over 5 stops difference between the inside of the alcove and the sky https://500px.com/photo/103712299/flase-kiva-3-by-don-lacy?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=170918 so it helps to have as many tricks up your sleeve as you can get.

[Diane Miller]

I stopped using grad filters when I started using a digital camera, about 15 years ago. Nothing beats getting the exposure right for every piece of the image, and that is done by bracketing exposures and then blending them later. There are many methods and none are difficult. Just learn to use layer masks.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I stopped using grad filters when I started using a digital camera, about 15 years ago. Nothing beats getting the exposure right for every piece of the image, and that is done by bracketing exposures and then blending them later. There are many methods and none are difficult. Just learn to use layer masks.
Diane I am torn but I think if I can get the right exposure and with or without filters that is what I am aiming for. It seems to me that by using the most suitable filter in the initial phase it is going to reduce the time spent making adjustments in Photoshop. I appreciate that I will become increasingly adept with more practice but if I can get things near as possible in the field I think that is the way forwards. I a may of course revise my opinion once I get to using the filters:e3

[Diane Miller]

I find it much easier and more precise to shoot the needed range of exact exposures and combine them later with various masking techniques. You can certainly do that and also try a filter, then see which one gives you the best result later. (Filters do have a place in action shots where you can't shoot several exposures.)

The problem with filters is that is is so rare to be able to place them where they are needed -- a flat horizon, maybe, but one with trees extending into a bright sky, no way.

And so much can be done in raw conversion these days, to bring down lights and bring up darks, it is really amazing. I can usually get the adjustments I need from just one of the raw exposures. The Grad filter in LR/ACR is a wonderful tool, also. You can make much stronger adjustments in the raw conversion, such as darkening a sky with a gradient, with much less posterization than you would get making the same adjustment in PS, even on a 16 bit file.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I find it much easier and more precise to shoot the needed range of exact exposures and combine them later with various masking techniques. You can certainly do that and also try a filter, then see which one gives you the best result later. (Filters do have a place in action shots where you can't shoot several exposures.)

The problem with filters is that is is so rare to be able to place them where they are needed -- a flat horizon, maybe, but one with trees extending into a bright sky, no way.

And so much can be done in raw conversion these days, to bring down lights and bring up darks, it is really amazing. I can usually get the adjustments I need from just one of the raw exposures. The Grad filter in LR/ACR is a wonderful tool, also. You can make much stronger adjustments in the raw conversion, such as darkening a sky with a gradient, with much less posterization than you would get making the same adjustment in PS, even on a 16 bit file.

Thanks Diane I agree with your logic entirely but you know what its like....... boys and toys!

[Diane Miller]

I do know about that -- my husband has four airplanes. Go for it with your filters!!

[David Stephens]

Here's another vote for multiple exposures combined in post. I think that you get more dynamic range and no unnatural transition edges from sky to land.

[David Cowling]

I use Kood Filters Jonathan. Lees are much too expensive for me. I also hand hold the filter in front of the lens when on a tripod, and with a longish exposure I move it up and down very slightly to eliminate some of the transition edges. I have tried exposure blending but can't make it look natural, my PS skills are somewhat lacking.

[Valerio Tarone]

Jonathan, my choice has been Cokin filters z serie: they cost less(250 e)than Lee filters, three steps, there'a type with a smooth transition another with a strong transition. The full set is comprehensive of adapter ring, holder filters and three filters. i advice the smooth transition.
Best regards.

[David Stephens]

HUGE dynamic range here:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5801/22342871839_24f6f8d290_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/A3n4og)Moon Over Monument (https://flic.kr/p/A3n4og) by David Stephens (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep/), on Flickr

I used two-shot HDR. A filter could have worked also, but it's no trouble at all to take the two-shots, with the moon at -3EV. I'm not shooting film anymore, so I don't continue to shoot that way.