Why ND grads are not always necessary for landscapes

[CraniumDesigns]

ND grad filters are good to have for landscape, essential really, IF you're not very good at photoshop, or dont wanna spend a lot of time in photoshop in post-production, or you absolutely HAVE to capture the image in one exposure.

however, im pretty experienced with photoshop, and i prefer to spend more time behind a screen than behind a camera, because when ur taking pics, ur light is constantly changing. if u spend more time behind a computer, when u HAVE the time, u can take many more comps IN the field.

my process is this. i usually leave my filters in my bag, use AEB, and fire off various exposures back to back with the amount of stops i want. sometimes it takes firing 2 AEB sets, but thats ok.

this allows me to take many more shots, take many more comps, and combined the elements from various shots that i like. maybe the sky is good in one, but the land sucks. so i grab the land i like from a brighter exposure, and mask em together in PS.

95% of the time i never use filters. filters are cool, but they take more care, more time, and they only offer a straight line, which in most cases is not what your landscape will have, unless its an ocean scape. often times the dark part will darken a mountain u may not want that dark.

basically, u can do all the things a filter can do, and much more, using just multiple exposures and photoshop.

the ONLY time a ND grad is ABSOLUTELY needed, is when u HAVE to get the shot in 1 exposure to capture movement of something. for that reason i still own a set of soft and hard ND's, 1, 2, and 3, stops of each.

good to have, but not necessary at all most of the time if you know photoshop.

 

[Shockey]

Or you can use a tripod with a graduated neutral density filter, take it right in camera and you are done.
Of course if you enjoy doing all that work in Photoshop, rock on..to each his own.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Or you can use a tripod with a graduated neutral density filter, take it right in camera and you are done.
Of course if you enjoy doing all that work in Photoshop, rock on..to each his own.

yes, a tripod is a MUST for landscape, and you have to use one when ur taking multiple exposures of the same scene. i prefer not to use grads though. this requires getting the filter placed right, picking the right filter, etc... this takes a lot more time and when ur working at sunset or sunrise and the light is changing so quickly, u can lose the opportunity to take more comps.

also, because a grad filter is straight, it may darken parts u dont want dark, like mountains that break the horizon.

so, unless u need to capture the action in one shot, if you're decent in photoshop, i feel u can produce much better images NOT using grads.

i'm just speaking from my own experience. i have lost out on other comps because i was spending too much time aligning filters, cleaning em off, etc... i want the highest quality possible in my images, so i dont mind spending more time in photoshop if it means my image will perform better and sell better.

plus it's cheaper, doesnt take up space in your bag, etc...

 

[patrickt]

Since I switched to digital the only two filters I use are a polarizing filter, frequently, and a ND, not graduated, occasionally.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Since I switched to digital the only two filters I use are a polarizing filter, frequently, and a ND, not graduated, occasionally.

yeah, i often use a circular polarizer, unless im shooting into the sun, as its not really effective in that situation.

i also have a 10 stop ND filter that i LOVE for taking long exposures during the day.

 

[CSR Studio]

I don't use a ND filter for landscapes. I usually use a polarizer.

 

[Heretotherephoto]

Out of curiosity can this photoshop method be done in Elements 8? I know it has a new feature where you can combine two images for the purpose you described above but I have not seen anything about masks yet in the book. I'm only about halfway through the book though.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Out of curiosity can this photoshop method be done in Elements 8? I know it has a new feature where you can combine two images for the purpose you described above but I have not seen anything about masks yet in the book. I'm only about halfway through the book though.

not sure. never used elements. just CS4.

 

[CSR Studio]

Why do you think ND filters are essential for landscapes?

 

[CraniumDesigns]

they're not. i only use/need em 5% of the time.

 

[Arch]

Well personally i prefer using ND Grads, i do also use exposure blending, but i think sometimes using just photoshop can make an image too sterile and emotionless.

This can depend on what you are going for too, if its for a good balanced exposure on a bright sunny day an exposure blend would be fine, however in some of my more moody landscapes an ND grad has given me the best results.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Well personally i prefer using ND Grads, i do also use exposure blending, but i think sometimes using just photoshop can make an image too sterile and emotionless.

This can depend on what you are going for too, if its for a good balanced exposure on a bright sunny day an exposure blend would be fine, however in some of my more moody landscapes an ND grad has given me the best results.

to each his own. exposure blending is effectively the same thing as using an ND grad. u just end up doing more work behind the computer, and not in the field. i can usually create the same mood exposure blending as i would using a filter, as long as their isnt crazy movement in the shot. just depends on how good the user is at layer masking and blending.

i just want newbies to know their options, and give us more seasoned landscapers something to think about for the future. i just prefer the flexibility photoshop offers. i'd rather have 3-4 full frames of raw data at different exposures levels to work with, than one full frame and run the chance of that one frame being off once i get home. but ive been using photoshop for years as a web designer, and its just where i feel more comfortable.

 

[Big]

Sooo, basically you're doing HDR?

 

[Garbz]

Or you can use a tripod with a graduated neutral density filter, take it right in camera and you are done.
Of course if you enjoy doing all that work in Photoshop, rock on..to each his own.

Yes but the upside of being done also has the downside of limited equipment. Your NDGrad filter has a finite adjustment, graduation, and setting.

For me it is not a convenience thing as much as a cost thing. Getting a full set of various stops in the ND department, and various harnesses in the Gradient department would cost a fortune. Whereas the photoshop option is selectable from a variety of exposures after the fact.

I do agree though, some people just prefer to do it in camera.

I don't use a ND filter for landscapes. I usually use a polarizer.

A solution to a very different problem. A polariser will not help you darken overcast clouds, or while shooting into the sun. Definitely a polariser is a must in any camera bag though and I often use it for landscapes.

Why do you think ND filters are essential for landscapes?

What's a landscape? A photographer who had a gallery in the city had pictures full of landscapes which were all about bringing out bright foregrounds against dark looming storms. NDGrad filter would be 100% essential to his line of work (all film, no digital, and doing a gradient in the darkroom takes hours compared to minutes in photoshop).

A friend of mine shoots landscapes mostly during the evening. Don't think she knows what an ND Grad filter is.

The word landscape only defines the object, and not the style. A ND Grad filter may only be essential for a certain style.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Sooo, basically you're doing HDR?

no. take this pic for example that i did on a recent photo trip...

this is made from 2 exposures, one for the land and water, and one for the sunset sky. i put the 2 layers in photoshop, masked them together and BAM, sweet pic.

an HDR requires tonemapping and affects all aspects of the image, whereas i am just putting pieces of different exposures together to make one nice exposure. this is less extreme and more natural than HDR.

i do like HDR, but i prefer not to use it for landscape most of the time. i tend to use it more for indoor shots.