Tywyn Sunset Using Graduated Filters
A Little Info On Graduated ND Filters
Used for: One of the most important filters for digital and film shooting, grads are used to tame harsh or contrasty light. Grads add shadow detail and keep color in skies at sunset which otherwise might get too bright and wash-out to white.
Not for: Everyday use or use during the day. Using a grad for a normal outdoor scene, even if the sky is bright, will make the sky look evil.
Our eyes and brains are very smart. They can see improper grad use, just as they automatically adjust themselves to see the scenes for which grads are required.
Our eyes have the ability to alter their sensitivity by region. If you’re indoors and look out a window, you can see everything because our eyes and brain drop the sensitivity to the window, and keep the sensitivity to the inside of the room high. If you close your eyes, you’ll see the mask created by your eye which varies the sensitivity by area.
Grads are only used in extreme conditions where our eyes have to do this, like looking into a sunset. Normally high contrast doesn’t warrant a grad. If the range from light to dark is so broad that our eyes have to compensate, then the grad attempts to do what our eyes would do, so that our cameras can capture the scene. Cameras can’t vary their ISO from point-to-point as our eyes can.
Raw capture still needs grad filters. Even though you might be able to grab an extra stop or two in raw, using the grad lets the camera operate within its optimum dynamic range, lets you see what you’re doing as you do it, and saves all the post-processing hassles later.
HDR is a pain, and looks awful. Just use a grad filter, or turn on your flash, for much better results much easier.
