inspiring professionals

THE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER'S GUIDE TO USING FILTERS

INSPIRING PROFESSIONALS

Inspiring_Prof_Inside:LF_How_To_Booklet 26/10/10 14:35 Page 1

My aimas a landscape photographeris simple, I want my photographs to

express the sense of wonderthe landscape inspires in me.

Since light is the heart and soul of photography, the art of landscapephotography is largely about the weather, and being in the right place atthe right time. It is also learning the biological and geological richness ofthe planet, of seeing the beauty of rocks, plants and animals. It is seeingthe space in the landscape, in sensing it’s freedom. It is coping with theheat of a summer day, the cold of a winter one. It is about walking,climbing, waiting; it involves anticipation, and reacting when the time isright. It is about tuning in to the place and the moment. It is watching thecycle of the seasons, and the circle of life. It is connecting with the earth.

Yet in the end, it all comes back to light. The landscape photographer hasno control over the light itself, for the sun is our light source, the sky is ourstudio, and the weather dictates mood and atmosphere. But we cancontrol the light entering the camera. By combining precise timing(to make best use of the light as it unfolds) with the subtle use of filters wecan ensure our compositions truly reveal the light and the land.

Landscape photography isthe art of light.

Joe Cornish

Foreword

My aimas a landscape photographeris simple, I want my photographs to

express the sense of wonderthe landscape inspires in me.

Since light is the heart and soul of photography, the art of landscapephotography is largely about the weather, and being in the right place atthe right time. It is also learning the biological and geological richness ofthe planet, of seeing the beauty of rocks, plants and animals. It is seeingthe space in the landscape, in sensing it’s freedom. It is coping with theheat of a summer day, the cold of a winter one. It is about walking,climbing, waiting; it involves anticipation, and reacting when the time isright. It is about tuning in to the place and the moment. It is watching thecycle of the seasons, and the circle of life. It is connecting with the earth.

Yet in the end, it all comes back to light. The landscape photographer hasno control over the light itself, for the sun is our light source, the sky is ourstudio, and the weather dictates mood and atmosphere. But we cancontrol the light entering the camera. By combining precise timing(to make best use of the light as it unfolds) with the subtle use of filters wecan ensure our compositions truly reveal the light and the land.

Landscape photography isthe art of light.

Joe Cornish

Foreword

4 • 5

Contents

Neutral DensityGraduated Filters

Mark Denton

Jeremy Walker

Joe Cornish

David Ward

John Gravett

Neutral DensityStandard Filters

David Noton

Jeremy Walker

Charlie Waite

Warm UpFilters

Mark Denton

John Gravett

Tom Mackie

David Ward

Jeremy Walker

CombinationFilters

Joe Cornish

David Ward

John Gravett

14 38 48 62

Polariser

John Gravett

Joe Cornish

David Ward

Jeremy Walker

David Noton

Digital

David Noton

Glass Enhancer

Jeremy Walker

Effects

Tom Mackie

John Gravett

78 94 104 110

Black & WhiteFilters

Charlie Waite

4 • 5

Contents

Neutral DensityGraduated Filters

Mark Denton

Jeremy Walker

Joe Cornish

David Ward

John Gravett

Neutral DensityStandard Filters

David Noton

Jeremy Walker

Charlie Waite

Warm UpFilters

Mark Denton

John Gravett

Tom Mackie

David Ward

Jeremy Walker

CombinationFilters

Joe Cornish

David Ward

John Gravett

14 38 48 62

Polariser

John Gravett

Joe Cornish

David Ward

Jeremy Walker

David Noton

Digital

David Noton

Glass Enhancer

Jeremy Walker

Effects

Tom Mackie

John Gravett

78 94 104 110

Black & WhiteFilters

Charlie Waite

JeremyWalker

Durdle Door, Dorset, England

18 • 19

Neutral Density Grad Hard

The huge rock arch of Durdle Door is situatedon the South or Jurassic Coast and is a great place to visitespecially in winter when you can have the place to yourself.

The Dorset coast is a great place to walk andhas many bays and coves to explore butthis has to be one of my favourite locations.

This visit was on a cold grey winter'safternoon and I turned up more in hopethan expectation, as a large blanket ofcloud had been hiding the sun for most ofthe day. Having set the camera up andcomposed the shot, it was then a matter ofwaiting, and as the sun sunk lower andlower the cloud finally began to break andthe light began to hit the arch.

As is often the problem, the exposuredifference between the sky and theforeground needs controlling. For this I useda 0.6ND hard grad placed just above thehorizon. As the light was not as warm as Iwould have liked I used an 81C colour filterover the whole shot just to help the feeland mood of the shot.

0.6 NDGrad Hard

81CStandard

0.6 ND

JeremyWalker

Durdle Door, Dorset, England

18 • 19

Neutral Density Grad Hard

The huge rock arch of Durdle Door is situatedon the South or Jurassic Coast and is a great place to visitespecially in winter when you can have the place to yourself.

The Dorset coast is a great place to walk andhas many bays and coves to explore butthis has to be one of my favourite locations.

This visit was on a cold grey winter'safternoon and I turned up more in hopethan expectation, as a large blanket ofcloud had been hiding the sun for most ofthe day. Having set the camera up andcomposed the shot, it was then a matter ofwaiting, and as the sun sunk lower andlower the cloud finally began to break andthe light began to hit the arch.

As is often the problem, the exposuredifference between the sky and theforeground needs controlling. For this I useda 0.6ND hard grad placed just above thehorizon. As the light was not as warm as Iwould have liked I used an 81C colour filterover the whole shot just to help the feeland mood of the shot.

0.6 NDGrad Hard

81CStandard

0.6 ND

JoeCornish

Chamber Of Secrets, Antelope Canyon, USA

32 • 33

Neutral Density Grad Soft

I have made many photographic tripsto the United States’Southwest deserts,

sometimes leading workshops there.

It was the wonders of this spectacularregion that originally convinced me tobecome a landscape photographer.

Antelope is a slot canyon, an extremelynarrow opening in the earth's surface,sculpted over many centuries by the actionof flash flooding.

I used an Ebony 5x4 inch field camera, anda 90mm lens. The perspective is madelooking up the wall of the canyon from avery low angle. My goal was to combinethe swirling shapes of the canyon walls in arelatively abstract composition to expressenergy and movement in the solid rock.

Spot-metering across the scene I discovereda brightness range in excess of eight stops.While I was prepared to lose the darkestshadows to black, it was essential that Ihold the highlights in the upper canyon

wall, and retain detail in the shadows of theoverhang, for without them, the ebb andflow of the composition would be lost.

I selected a three stop 0.9 ND soft grad toensure there was no risk of a visible'tideline', and introduced it on its side fromthe left. It was inevitable that some detailwould be sacrificed in the dark areas nowcovered by the ND, but the benefits ofsubduing the highlights were immediatelyapparent in camera. Placing the shadowon the right of the image at minus one anda half, compared to base exposure, Icalculated that the highlights on the uppercanyon would hold at plus two or so, takingthe reduction of the ND into account.

0.9 NDGrad Soft

0.9 ND

JoeCornish

Chamber Of Secrets, Antelope Canyon, USA

32 • 33

Neutral Density Grad Soft

I have made many photographic tripsto the United States’Southwest deserts,

sometimes leading workshops there.

It was the wonders of this spectacularregion that originally convinced me tobecome a landscape photographer.

Antelope is a slot canyon, an extremelynarrow opening in the earth's surface,sculpted over many centuries by the actionof flash flooding.

I used an Ebony 5x4 inch field camera, anda 90mm lens. The perspective is madelooking up the wall of the canyon from avery low angle. My goal was to combinethe swirling shapes of the canyon walls in arelatively abstract composition to expressenergy and movement in the solid rock.

Spot-metering across the scene I discovereda brightness range in excess of eight stops.While I was prepared to lose the darkestshadows to black, it was essential that Ihold the highlights in the upper canyon

wall, and retain detail in the shadows of theoverhang, for without them, the ebb andflow of the composition would be lost.

I selected a three stop 0.9 ND soft grad toensure there was no risk of a visible'tideline', and introduced it on its side fromthe left. It was inevitable that some detailwould be sacrificed in the dark areas nowcovered by the ND, but the benefits ofsubduing the highlights were immediatelyapparent in camera. Placing the shadowon the right of the image at minus one anda half, compared to base exposure, Icalculated that the highlights on the uppercanyon would hold at plus two or so, takingthe reduction of the ND into account.

0.9 NDGrad Soft

0.9 ND

CharlieWaite

House on Stilt. Great Ocean Road, Australia

42 • 43

Neutral Density Standard

Being privileged to have had three consecutive

exhibitions in Australia, there was a little free time to

drive along the famous Great Ocean Road.

Just a few miles out of Melbourne, I lookedup to see a tall thick steel pole. On closerexamination, I saw sitting right at the verytip of the pole a small hexagonal house;I felt compelled to go and investigate; afterall 'investigation' is the business of thelandscape photographer. A small steeptrack took me to the 'drawbridge' leadingto the front door.

I have always felt confined by themandatory configuration of shutter speedand aperture, designed to ensure correctexposure. I have long used the 'uniformNeutral Density' filters in various densities toallow me to break out of the mandatorycombinations of shutter speeds andapertures, which light intensity and filmspeed force me in turn to comply with.The ND uniform allows me a third exposurevariable, which in turn gives enhancedfreedom to express my intention.

The surf in the background seemed to beintrusive and, unless softened could possiblydeflect the eye away from the peculiarand surreal house. Using a combination ofboth a 0.9 and a 0.6 (five stops density)uniform Neutral Density filters, meant I couldboth maintain the sacred aperture andadopt a longer shutter speed whichresulted in a more nondescript background.

It is pleasing to know that despite theapparent appearance of computermanipulation in the making of this image;none took place. There was great pleasureto be had from 'in camera manipulation'using nothing so sophisticated as postproduction digital manipulation software(very difficult to replicate the effect of longshutter speeds); simply two humble NeutralDensity filters placed in their holder in frontof the lens; job done.

0.9 NDStandard

0.6 NDStandard

CharlieWaite

House on Stilt. Great Ocean Road, Australia

42 • 43

Neutral Density Standard

Being privileged to have had three consecutive

exhibitions in Australia, there was a little free time to

drive along the famous Great Ocean Road.

Just a few miles out of Melbourne, I lookedup to see a tall thick steel pole. On closerexamination, I saw sitting right at the verytip of the pole a small hexagonal house;I felt compelled to go and investigate; afterall 'investigation' is the business of thelandscape photographer. A small steeptrack took me to the 'drawbridge' leadingto the front door.

I have always felt confined by themandatory configuration of shutter speedand aperture, designed to ensure correctexposure. I have long used the 'uniformNeutral Density' filters in various densities toallow me to break out of the mandatorycombinations of shutter speeds andapertures, which light intensity and filmspeed force me in turn to comply with.The ND uniform allows me a third exposurevariable, which in turn gives enhancedfreedom to express my intention.

The surf in the background seemed to beintrusive and, unless softened could possiblydeflect the eye away from the peculiarand surreal house. Using a combination ofboth a 0.9 and a 0.6 (five stops density)uniform Neutral Density filters, meant I couldboth maintain the sacred aperture andadopt a longer shutter speed whichresulted in a more nondescript background.

It is pleasing to know that despite theapparent appearance of computermanipulation in the making of this image;none took place. There was great pleasureto be had from 'in camera manipulation'using nothing so sophisticated as postproduction digital manipulation software(very difficult to replicate the effect of longshutter speeds); simply two humble NeutralDensity filters placed in their holder in frontof the lens; job done.

0.9 NDStandard

0.6 NDStandard

TomMackie

The Roaches, Peak District, England

54 • 55

Warm Up Filters

There are many times when using a combination of an ND grad

and a graduated coral filter can make the difference between

a stunning image, a transparency goingin the bin or a deleted digital file.

Even though digital has a wider exposurerange, you still have to grad the skies down tohold the highlight detail. Many photographersnew to digital photography think they canthrow their filters away, choosing to makethe alterations to the image usingPhotoshop. I prefer to capture a scene asclose to the final image as possible, thissaves countless hours of retouching on thecomputer later.

I was commissioned to photograph thePeak District for a book publisher. One ofthe required locations was an area in thesouthwest part of the Peaks called theRoaches. This rock escarpment is verypopular with rock climbers and an early risewas necessary to capture the warm toneson the rocks. I chose a suitable angle sothat the first light would hit the ridge of

granite rock formations. Unfortunately,there was a thin veil of cloud at the horizon,that would take out the intensity andwarmth of the sun when it edged over thehorizon. On the plus side, a nice cloudformation drifted into the scene to makethe morning sky more interesting. A straightshot of the scene rendered the sky blownout and the little light that illuminated therocks in the foreground was not as intensewith colour as I'd have liked. Placing a0.9 ND hard grad over the sky was enoughto balance the exposure of the sky with theforeground. I used a Coral 4 grad reversed inthe holder to enhance the little amount ofwarm light on the rocks. Without thefiltration the image is unusable, but with theaddition of the ND grad and Coral grad theimage achieves my intentions.

0.9 NDGrad Hard

Coral 4Grad Hard

0.9 ND

Coral 4

TomMackie

The Roaches, Peak District, England

54 • 55

Warm Up Filters

There are many times when using a combination of an ND grad

and a graduated coral filter can make the difference between

a stunning image, a transparency goingin the bin or a deleted digital file.

Even though digital has a wider exposurerange, you still have to grad the skies down tohold the highlight detail. Many photographersnew to digital photography think they canthrow their filters away, choosing to makethe alterations to the image usingPhotoshop. I prefer to capture a scene asclose to the final image as possible, thissaves countless hours of retouching on thecomputer later.

I was commissioned to photograph thePeak District for a book publisher. One ofthe required locations was an area in thesouthwest part of the Peaks called theRoaches. This rock escarpment is verypopular with rock climbers and an early risewas necessary to capture the warm toneson the rocks. I chose a suitable angle sothat the first light would hit the ridge of

granite rock formations. Unfortunately,there was a thin veil of cloud at the horizon,that would take out the intensity andwarmth of the sun when it edged over thehorizon. On the plus side, a nice cloudformation drifted into the scene to makethe morning sky more interesting. A straightshot of the scene rendered the sky blownout and the little light that illuminated therocks in the foreground was not as intensewith colour as I'd have liked. Placing a0.9 ND hard grad over the sky was enoughto balance the exposure of the sky with theforeground. I used a Coral 4 grad reversed inthe holder to enhance the little amount ofwarm light on the rocks. Without thefiltration the image is unusable, but with theaddition of the ND grad and Coral grad theimage achieves my intentions.

0.9 NDGrad Hard

Coral 4Grad Hard

0.9 ND

Coral 4

INSPIRING PROFESSIONALS

[email protected] www.leefilters.com

Inspiration, advice and

technique from leading UKlandscape photographers