Jen,
Thanks, girly.
Patrick,
No problem, glad you enjoyed the piccy.
There's two types of filters, well, three. But, the two main ones are hard step and soft step. The hard steps gradate very quickly in the centre in a band about 5% the length of the filter. These are great for clear horizons or if you have obstructions, you can still use them. Just take two shots and blend in the obstruction from the shot without the filter. The alternative is to use soft step filters. These gradate from the centre to the edge in a soft fashion. So, you still get the full effect of the filter at the top, but, less of an effect in the middle -- great for mountains or features on the horizon in the image.
There's also nothing stopping you from stacking filters. I've done this many times. So, if my sky was six stops over-exposed, I'd stack two 3-stop filters together to produce the same result as one six stop filter. Anything more than 3 stops, and the filters get really expensive. Like, $200+ per filter.
Brands like Lee and B+W will do you well, and, they're not horrendously expensive. I think it's quicker to purchase Lee filters from the UK than from local outlets. They usually don't have 'em in stock. Ask Troy, he spent months waiting for his, from memory.
You can also use the Cokin filter holding system (a somewhat universal system) and plonk the filters in place. The filter holder attaches to the front end of your lens. Use Live View or look through the viewfinder to place them appropriately. I have never used a filter holding system and much prefer to hand-hold as I can slightly dither the filter during exposure to lessen hard edges that may potentially appear in long exposures.
The whole point about using appropriate filters, in the right kind of light, is so that you don't have to spend ages in post processing. A few simple adjustments and you have yourself an image worthy of printing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddy
Thanks H for a very beautiful picture and a most informative thread for a newcomer to the DSLR world. I am not familiar with graded ND filters but can see their benefit from this thread. I can also see that there would be times when a mask would work better eg where the subject crosses the horizon. If Cokin filters aren't that great, what brand would people recommend?
I am also very interested to hear how little processing went into this image and find that quite inspiring, especially if this is your rule of thumb Humayun as I am very much a fan of your pictures.
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Rob,
Thanks, mate. Appreciate your kind words.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
Like Patrick, I've really appreciated reading a bit about the thought and technique that goes into a magic image like this. I just love it BTW - surreal and wonderful. It makes you yearn to be there.....
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Cheers, guys.
H