Right Filters For Fall Color
As a nature photographer, autumn is my favorite time of the year. For a few weeks every year, the landscape lights up with brilliant fall color that never ceases to capture my attention.
However, fall color can present considerable challenges to the photographer. To make the most of the fall color opportunities provided by Mother Nature, the savvy photographer will use a series of filters to capture the drama and beauty of the Autumn landscape.
I never leave home without three types of filters; polarizing filters, neutral density filters, and graduated neutral density filters. Polarizing filters help reduce glare and improve color saturation. Polarizers will also darken blue skies. They work best when positioned perpendicular to the direction of the sun.
Neutral density filters simply reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor which allows slower shutter speeds for dramatic affect. ND filters are especially useful when shooting running water. Graduated neutral density filters are used to control dynamic range of a scene – when exposing for the foreground results in a blown sky for example. Some suggest GND filters are obsolete in the digital age. I disagree. Although I am the first to take advantage of technology, I would rather control the dynamic range of a scene, when possible, in the field rather than correcting it by merging multiple images in post. Just one man’s humble opinion.
Below is a link to an article published in Outdoor Photographer that covers these filters and their use in great detail. I found it particularly useful.
The Right Filters For Fall Color – Outdoor Photographer | OutdoorPhotographer.com.
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Date: September 18, 2011
Categories: In the Bag, Landscapes, Nature, Photography Technique