Neutral density filter Tips and Techniques

A neutral density filter is a filter that is used in photography in order to darken certain areas of the image. It is usually used to darken bright skies and make them more balanced with the brightness of the landscape and subject being photographed.

Some neutral density filters are fully covered in a coating. This coating will reduce the amount of light that is let in. This can be good when taking pictures in very bright settings or when using different lenses and needing different exposure times.

Another type of neutral density filter is a graduated ND filter. This filter, like the other filter, is covered in a layer of coating that filters out some light. However, rather than being fully covered, it is only partially covered and gradiated so that it transitions from fully covered to not covered. Some filters are very softly transitioned from fully covered to not covered and others are not as softly transitioned.

A graduated neutral density filter without much transition is usually used when you are taking pictures of skies with the landscape. The harsh transition will work very well.

Photographic filters do effect the look of the photograph. Although some may not seem to do anything they will have some effect. Even UV filters are warned about by some photographers stating that they degrade the quality of their lens. A neutral density filter can be very pronounced in its effect and very subtle as well. It all depends on the type that you use.

Graduated filters can be very useful when you are taking pictures of extremely different levels of light such as landscapes with the sky. Regular neutral density filters can be used to lessen the amount of light that is let in and balance unbalanced lighting.

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