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HDR – an abomination? Not if you do it right!

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We probably all know that HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. In all simplicity, this means images that cover the entire tonal range in a given scene. The photographer has been able to preserve the highlights and yet has enough shadow detail information. The photo avoids any clipped shadows or ‘black holes’ as I call them. The trouble with black holes is that they steal a lot of attention, and may draw the eyes to all the wrong places in an image. The same goes for severely clipped highlights. They are boring plain white, with hard transition lines.

There are three ways we can achieve a high dynamic range image. We will in the following briefly discuss each of them.

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Tiffen has announced a new range of ND Filter Kits for the DJI Mavic Mini

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One notable absence in the launch of the DJI Mavic Mini was a range of ND filters designed for the new drone. DJI has sets of their own branded filters for many of their products like the Osmo Pocket and Osmo Action as well as for drones including the Phantom 4, Mavic Pro and Mavic Air. But there is nothing for the Mavic Mini and no obvious way to attach filters, either.

Filter manufacturer Tiffen, however, has not been resting. They’ve now announced a new line of filter kits designed specifically for the DJI Mavic Mini which includes both straight NDs as well as ND polarizers.

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How to dodge and burn in-camera to preserve highlights and save time in post

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Graduated ND filters will help you get perfect exposure in-camera when shooting landscapes and cityscapes. However, the area they cover sometimes just won’t cut it for the scene you’re trying to capture. Of course, you can sometimes fix it in post, but why not try getting it right in-camera?

In this video, Karl Taylor demonstrates a simple but effective technique of dodging and burning in-camera, relying on the old darkroom method. It will help you nail the exposure, preserve details in highlights, and it could save you some post-processing time.

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Here are some ideas on how to use a variable ND filter for shooting landscapes

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Attaching the NiSi Vario filter to a lens basically means that we have added a fourth dimension to our camera. The exposure triangle; aperture, iso, shutter speed, has been expanded with a fourth variable with which we can play to achieve a desired effect or outcome. This of course opens up for new creative opportunities in our photography, and also adds a lot of flexibility to our shooting.

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PolarPro just announced two “Peter McKinnon Edition” Variable ND filters – Here are our first impressions using one

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Today, PolarPro has announced their new Peter McKinnon Edition Variable ND filters. They’re available in two strengths of 2-5 stops and 6-9 stops. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the 77mm 2-5 stops version in my possession for the last couple of weeks. As I write this, I’m sitting in Glasgow airport waiting to board a plane to take it on a real test in the deserts of Arizona, but I’ve been able to have enough of a play with it to give some first impressions.

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Here’s how to figure out which ND filters you need

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If you need ND filters, it may be a tough choice which ones to buy since there are so many of them in the market. And if solid ND filters are what you prefer, how do you know which ones you need? Let Griffin Hammond help you with that. In this video, he explains how solid ND filters differ and how you can calculate which one would be perfect for your current shooting situation.

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Graduated ND filters or multiple exposures: what is the best option for a landscape photographer?

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Using a Graduated Neutral Density filter is fairly easy and doesn’t require any advanced techniques in post-production but the easiest option isn’t always the best choice; due to the filter’s transition being horizontal, anything above the distinction will be darkened and anything below will be left alone.

This is a good solution when there’s a flat horizon but what do we do when there are mountains projecting above it? What do we do when there are large trees in the image? Using a GND filter means that they’ll be darkened as well. That’s something we want to avoid.

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16 10-stop neutral density filters go head to head for sharpness, colour and accuracy

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There are so many neutral density filter brands out there that it can be difficult to know which one to choose. The choice becomes even more difficult when you start to look at super strong ones claiming 10 stops of light stopping power. You hear all the time about softness issues, vignetting and colour casts. But which one is the best?

That’s what photographer Christopher Frost wanted to find out. So, he contacted a bunch of 10 stop filter manufacturers to do a straight up side-by-side comparison between them all to see how they stand up.

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