DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

When and why you might want to use ND filters for your photography

Jun 23, 2021 by John Aldred 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Along with polarizers, Neutral Density (ND) filters are pretty much the only filters most people really need these days. But what are ND filters? How do they work and why might you want to use one for your photography? Put simply, though, ND filters are sort of like sunglasses for your camera to darken down the view coming through your lens.

But how can they really be useful? After all, aren’t we typically looking for more light when we shoot and not less? Well, in this video, Mike Smith gets into the nitty-gritty of ND filters to answer that question, illustrated by images he’s shot using one.

The sunglasses reference typically means non-polarized sunglasses. Basic ones that just dim the view. That being said, there are some combined ND polarizers out there, too, which means that if you want the effect of both a polarizer and a neutral density filter, you don’t have to stack filters and risk vignetting. They come in various strengths from a third of a stop all the way up to 20 stops, and I think there are one or two more out there even stronger than that. Typically, ND filters sit in the 3-10 stop range.

For photographers, the main use for neutral density filters, as Mike points out in the video, is for landscape and cityscape photography where you have moving subjects. They allow you to capture motion blur in moving subjects like water over a longer period of time or shoot very long exposures of scenes with slowly moving subjects like clouds to record that sensation of movement in your image that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see.

The other feature for photography, that isn’t really mentioned in the video is when working with flash outdoors. While many speedlights and strobes support High Speed Sync these days, not all camera and light combinations allow for it. ND filters let you keep your camera’s shutter speed below your flash sync speed, preventing that dreaded black bar across your shot! We’ve featured this technique before and you can read more about it here.

How often do you use ND filters for your photos?

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Using diffusion filters – LEE ‘Soft’ Filters 1 to 5 comparison test Why you might want to use red or other coloured filters with your digital camera ND filters: What are they, why you need them, and how to choose them This is why you shouldn’t throw away smashed ND filters

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Long Exposures, Mike Smith, ND, Neutral Density

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This massive 16TB external SSD offers speeds up to 2,800MB/sec and costs a whopping $3,300
Petition to outlaw public breastfeeding photos is on after mom-photographer clash »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy