SG - Graduated Neutral Density Filters - Sunrise and Sunset Pictures

Subject: SG - Graduated Neutral Density Filters - Sunrise and Sunset Pictures

For our last theme, I bet most of you noticed you could get good colors in the sunrise/sunset, but the rest of the picture was too dark. Or, the foreground was in good exposure, but the sky washed out. What to do?

Try a graduated neutral density filter. Many of the great BP sunrise/sunset pictures make use of the graduated density filter. Here are a couple:

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=1905684

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=1811236

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=1695404

In all three pictures, you can see how the foreground has detail, versus being washed out. That’s the advantage of the graduated neutral density filter. Please note this is different than a regular neutral density filter.

Derrald Farnsworth, from Omaha NE (never met him), took the first two pictures. I asked him about his graduated neutral density filters. Here’s what he said.

“Ken, I use Singh-Ray filters for my neutral density filters. I currently have a 2-stop soft grad filter and a 3-stop hard grad filter, however, I am waiting on a 3-stop soft grad. They currently fit in a Cokin holder that I have. The benefit of using a square filter is that you can set your horizon to any location in your photograph. You are not confined to where it is in the screw-on filter. Also, there are many times that I turn the filter slightly to hold back more light if the sun is to the right or the left of the composition. I strongly recommend Singh-Ray filters as they have less of a color cast then the Cokin filters, however, they are more expensive. If you want to do more sunset or sunrise photos I strongly suggest paying the extra and I suggest starting with the two I mentioned. You can go from there. You will defiantly get hooked on using them. You can get them at http://www.singh-ray.com.

I highly recommend getting the 2-stop soft and 3-stop hard filters. With that being said, I know that we all have budgets and they are not the cheapest filters. I would probably start with the 2-stop grad soft step one. I have found that I used that one the most and it was the one that I really started with. It is also the most forgiving. What I mean by that is if you do not use the 3-stop hard stop grad filter carefully, the line where you placed the filter will be evident in your photographs. The soft-step line in the photographs is much harder to discern, if you can at all. For my last three uploads to Betterphoto, I used the 2-stop soft grad filter with. It worked perfectly in those situations.

In my opinion, the order in which you should purchase the grad filters:

1. 2-stop soft
2. 3-stop hard
3. 3-stop soft
4. 2-stop ND filter (full ND, no grad)
5. 3-stop ND filter (full ND, no grad)
6. 1-stop soft
7. 4 or 5 stop hard
8. 1-stop hard

Of course, if you were to buy all 8, you are looking at $800. I only have the first three and it has taken me 3 years to accumulate those. I try to buy one a year."

Ken’s words…I just purchased the 2-stop soft filter. Previously, I had the screw-on filter. It cost $99. I will experiment later. Have a good evening.

Ken