Photography Resources Newsletter

Friday 8th August 2008

Filters, multiple exposures and landscapes

NEXT EDITION: two weeks 22nd August

On what is considered by some the luckiest day of the century, 08/08/08, we have for you lucky people, an edition packed full of information that could add some challenges, fun and a few chuckles to your life. So why you may ask should we consider a whole load of articles on filters is going to achieve this effect. After all we haven't got a smile filter, or have we.

The challenges come from 'getting to grips with grads', and from working out what coloured grads you can use with ND grads, as well as how to use ND filters and multiple exposures to produce special results. The fun comes from experiment with something completely new, and has nothing to do with what you might get up to with the model you took along to one of the landscape viewpoints we have explained today. The chuckles you will find come quite naturally when you are reading several pages, including the special effects filters, and the page that explains how you can get similar effects to using filters, but not from that as much as the attitudes that some of the 'grumpies' have that editing is cheating but doing the same with a wet darkroom and filters is not.

Landscape using a Polarizing filter

Taken with Nikon D2x, with 12-24mm lens at 24mm, ISO 400, 1/60th, F16, EV -.7

We decided to do the articles on filters this week as we wanted to get ahead, and have some days off taking photos, but as usual, once we started writing, more and more information just needed to be added, and we haven't here looked at the difference in quality between one make and another. Well the weather hasn't been up to much has it, in anticipation of a break in the weather we have decided to give ourselves a short break, so there won't be a newsletter next week, the next one will be in two weeks time on the 22nd August. We don't expect to be able to charge off next week, but perhaps if we lighten the load slightly we will be able to take some days off next week and some the week after.

Filters you will discover can still be and are still used, they are not just for historic recreations of the days of film or only by those still living in that age. Neutral density grads, and polarizers are really useful, while most of the others may come more into the 'exciting and fun' categories than the 'photographers essential armoury' listings.

In one of this weeks articles we do compare what can be done with filters, what can be done in camera in other ways, and what can be done in editing.

We have a lot of practical stuff, like identifying what you might need, and looking at the difference in both design and price between different ranges and sizes. With one system you will discover you can build a set with about five times as many filters as another for the same budget. A cheaper make we give you details on you could get far more, but as we haven't used them we cant tell you if we like them or not.

We also cover within this, double and multiple exposures, which you may feel has nothing to do with filters as none are usually used, however the filter holder and black or blocking card can be used to produce similar effects as some filters, so we wanted to cover that, and well we didn't want to do half a job so we covered a lot more as well.

The articles on these topics are:-

Filters - What you need - what you put on your shopping list, but also a good starting point linking to the other articles.
Filters for digital photography - generalised introduction to filters
Filters for coastal photography - introduction gives some filters that would be useful in a specific case
Protection filters - filters on lenses to keep the lenses clean.
Filters - Other solutions - other ways to get similar effects, without using filters, and differences
Polarisers - the most commonalty used of all special filters beyond the protection filters.
Filter holders - the sizes, types ad arrangements, which one is best for your lenses.
Stepping rings - allowing a holder, adaptor or other filters to be used across a range of lens sizes.
Filters-ND graduated filters - the most essential filters, looking at hard, soft, reverse, strengths and how to decide what to use, setting exposure and more
Graduated filters - coloured graduated filters allowing images to be 'improved'.
ND filters - used to allow longer exposures, having a range uses.
Effect filters - special effects like stars, soft effects, netting an more.
Double and multiple exposure - used with filters or with card to give similar effects to using some filters.

12 on filters and 1 on multiple exposures, oops that's 13, and we wanted to have all lucky numbers this week, but three of these existed on the system before (protective, coastal and filters for digital photography) so its 10 new articles we have added this week. We have also added a new Filter Section page, and a page of further information, including links to filter producers.

From the information you will see how you can 'improve' photographs, which may be minor or may involve adding a colourful sunset that did not exist, adding a rainbow or dropping a reflection where only a field or road existed, all with filters only. Remember its not cheating as long as we don't do the same in editing!!

There will be more to come, after all having thought about this all and looked through all the 'toys' again, I will have to write some articles won't I, to justify those extra filters I am going to get. Of course I need them now, what will be your excuse.

As most use filters for landscape photography, although you will see loads of other applications, we felt that getting some more location guides available for landscape photography would be the ideal addition this week

We have also added more dates into the photographers diary, providing more items you can get out and photograph, subject to the weather of course.

In the News This Week

Nikon ViewNX version upgrade to 1.1.1 (free download), correcting some errors or problems. Our page showing the latest Nikon camera firmware and software has been updated.

Summary of Articles Included this week

Filters - What you need - what you put on your shopping list, but also a good starting point linking to the other articles.

Filters for digital photography - generalised introduction to filters

Filters for coastal photography - introduction gives some filters that would be useful in a specific case

Protection filters - filters on lenses to keep the lenses clean.

Filters - Other solutions - other ways to get similar effects, without using filters, and differences

Polarisers - the most commonalty used of all special filters beyond the protection filters.

Filters-ND graduated filters - the most essential filters, looking at hard, soft, reverse, strengths and how to decide what to use, setting exposure and more

Graduated filters - coloured graduated filters allowing images to be 'improved'.

ND filters - used to allow longer exposures, having a range uses.

Effect filters - special effects like stars, soft effects, netting an more.

Filter holders - the sizes, types ad arrangements, which one is best for your lenses.

Stepping rings - allowing a holder, adaptor or other filters to be used across a range of lens sizes.

Double and multiple exposure - used with filters or with card to give similar effects to using some filters.

Lists relating to Filters

Further information page complete with links to other articles, filter manufacturers etc.