graduated ND filter for portraits

alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
edited October 27, 2014 in People
Hi all, I have been reading a photographers tutorial (Am I allowed to share the page of the magazine here?) for shooting portraits and people on interiors by using the window light as a main light. He was suggesting something I have not thought of that you might want to use a GND filter so to reduce the contrast between the face that gets the light from the window and the surrounding area (especially if the subject is standing with the face turned 90 degrees to the window). Have you ever used such technique in your workflow? Regards Alex

Comments

  • jmphotocraftjmphotocraft Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2014
    you can do this in lightroom without the hardware.
    -Jack

    An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2014
    Or use something as a reflector on the shadow side for fill. A piece of white paper will do the job if that's all that's handy. ND redundant, and will also reduce overall exposure, potentially requiring higher iso to get the shot.

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  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2014
    I guess the idea was to reduce the difference between hightlights and shadows to avoid clipping. I will have a try and let you know
    Alex
  • D3SshooterD3Sshooter Registered Users Posts: 1,188 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2014
    ND filters are a great tool and yes I use one from kenko, it is gradual filter from 0 to 15 stops down.
    LR does not provide you with a simular means, it is a poor simulation. So why fake it if you can make it.

    I use the variable ND filter to reduce the effect of ambient light when shooting with flash at lower flash sync speeds (1/125). That way I can control the amount of ambient light that will affect the capture.

    You can read more on my wordpress blog here . It covers the ND filter and the way I use it....
    A photographer without a style, is like a pub without beer
  • alaiosalaios Registered Users Posts: 668 Major grins
    edited October 27, 2014
    great all
    thanks. more stuff to learn :)
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