Tell me what you think?

[Wander]

Getting the hang around Nat Geo photogs will reap rewards-I'm jealous!

A circular polarizer filter allows you to rotate the filter around to place the darker area of the filter over the brighter area and is helpful in full sunlight. Sometimes the light is just too much and the pic will loose contrast. I'm sure you've noticed the NG guys shoot mostly very early and right at sun set which is when the best light occurs Graduated filters come into play when that golden light has past. One other thing that can work well in brighter light is using a red filter and shooting in black and white. You'll have to switch to B&W in post with a digital but the red filter brings out contrast with B&W-at least that worked with film, don't recall if I've tried it in digital or not???

 

[Ash]

One of these?

Now we are getting into stuff I don't know much about...... very cool.

......and I'm off on a surfing adventure about filters and white balance! Thanks.

That's it. Great product. Buy the big one (82mm) and be done with it.

 

[Lost Canadian]

Clay, you're doing fine. I would have to respectfully disagree with any suggestion to go out and buy more gear before 'you' even know what 'you' need or what 'your' limitations are. At this point in your growth I would focus primarily on yourself. Considerations for you at this point should revolve around learning how to compose an image and how to make a proper exposure. Composition will include understanding how line, colour, shape, space, texture, tone, and form impact an image. If you can teach yourself to understand the impacts of these qualities you'll be on the right path to making images that sing.

With respects to exposure, it isn't simply about understanding how to make a perfectly balanced exposure, it's also learning how to make a perfect exposure for the story you're trying to convey to viewers. That could mean underexposing or overexposing a shot to get a desired look or result.

If you want to buy anything, buy a book. There are many great books out there that will help guide you to becoming a better photographer. One of my favorites and one I still return to from time to time is Freeman Patterson's, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Art-Seeing-S/dp/1550130994"]Photography and the Art of Seeing.[/ame] It's an older book, so it's not full of bang wizz modern digital photographs, but Freeman, besides being a legend behind the lens, is also a world class photographic teacher and his books make the complicated easy to understand.

Good luck in your journeys.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

I agree with Trevor! Only thing I'd ad is if you're shooting alot during the daytime hours when light isnt perfect, at least pick up a Circular Polarizer. It'll help tone down the washed out skies

#1 rule to remember with a CP is to keep the sun at a 90 degree angle from the front of the camera and the sky will really pop. Remember that a Circular model means you can rotate the filter to get the look you want.

Great whale shots, but post them a tad smaller so we dont have to scroll side to side:Wow1:

 

[Overland Hadley]

If you want to buy anything, buy a book.

x2

 

[prideseo]

Excellent photos, thanks for sharing.

 

[Clay]

Clay, you're doing fine. I would have to respectfully disagree with any suggestion to go out and buy more gear before 'you' even know what 'you' need or what 'your' limitations are. At this point in your growth I would focus primarily on yourself. Considerations for you at this point should revolve around learning how to compose an image and how to make a proper exposure. Composition will include understanding how line, colour, shape, space, texture, tone, and form impact an image. If you can teach yourself to understand the impacts of these qualities you'll be on the right path to making images that sing.

With respects to exposure, it isn't simply about understanding how to make a perfectly balanced exposure, it's also learning how to make a perfect exposure for the story you're trying to convey to viewers. That could mean underexposing or overexposing a shot to get a desired look or result.

If you want to buy anything, buy a book. There are many great books out there that will help guide you to becoming a better photographer. One of my favorites and one I still return to from time to time is Freeman Patterson's, Photography and the Art of Seeing. It's an older book, so it's not full of bang wizz modern digital photographs, but Freeman, besides being a legend behind the lens, is also a world class photographic teacher and his books make the complicated easy to understand.

Good luck in your journeys.

I love books, so I ordered a copy off amazon. Thanks for pointing that out.

The funny thing that I never really got out of my lessons while at work are that no one uses filters, except a UV filter. Every one says not to, to shoot in raw and process it after words. All effects or what ever you want can be added then. What do you think about that?

Part of me thinks it's best to just take the shot and that's that, but the other side of me see's that a whole lot can be done to the picture in "the digital dark room" so to speak. Deciding which of these two paths to take is kind of where I am at with my photography right now. I can see benefits to either way.

I also do feel that I struggle with composition a bit a times, and that's the most important thing since you can't go back later and fix that (for the most part).

 

[Clay]

I agree with Trevor! Only thing I'd ad is if you're shooting alot during the daytime hours when light isnt perfect, at least pick up a Circular Polarizer. It'll help tone down the washed out skies

#1 rule to remember with a CP is to keep the sun at a 90 degree angle from the front of the camera and the sky will really pop. Remember that a Circular model means you can rotate the filter to get the look you want.

Great whale shots, but post them a tad smaller so we dont have to scroll side to side:Wow1:

Thanks, and I really enjoy your photos as well.

 

[off-roader]

Nice pics. I agree about posting a smaller size whale LOL...

Myself, I usually just keep it in Auto WB and fix it as needed in post using Levels in Photoshop. If I want to get more critical (like for a portrait session) I use one of these ([ame="http://www.amazon.com/PhotoVision-One-Shot-Calibration-Collapsible-Exposure/dp/B000E44QNE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1305567234&sr=8-4"]Amazon.com: PhotoVision 14" Pocket One-Shot Digital Calibration Target with DVD, Collapsible Disc Exposure Aid for Digital Cameras: Camera &p[/ame][ame="http://www.amazon.com/PhotoVision-One-Shot-Calibration-Collapsible-Exposure/dp/B000E44QNE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1305567234&sr=8-4"]hoto[/ame]) with the auto white balance calibration setting on my dslr. I can also use the flip side's reflector as needed although you probably won't use that for your shots.

That's it. Great product. Buy the big one (82mm) and be done with it.

If you wanna get really serious about WB calibration, you can buy one of these [ame="http://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-MSCCPP-ColorChecker-Passport/dp/B002NU5UW8"]Amazon.com: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport: Camera & Photo[/ame] which costs about the same as that 82mm unit. I would think it will be easier to use on-site (you don't have to change the filter out) but you'd have an extra step in post processing. It does seem to be all the rage on the photo pod casts I've been listening to.

As for getting a level horizon, I sometimes run into the same issue and use a photoshop (CS3) feature to correct it. Not sure if the same feature exist in Lightroom but perhaps others can chime in if it does.

HTH.

 

[Lost Canadian]

The funny thing that I never really got out of my lessons while at work are that no one uses filters, except a UV filter. Every one says not to, to shoot in raw and process it after words. All effects or what ever you want can be added then. What do you think about that?

Well yes and no.

There are certain things that can't be duplicated in post. For instance, you can't polarize an unpolarized image. Reducing glare and reflection can only be achieved with a physical filter. HDR or other mulitiple image blending techniques greatly reduce the need for physical split neutral density filters, but there are still times where the physical kind is preferred, like during some long exposures or where movement is present. And solid ND filters are still needed if you want to do long exposures in bright light situations. All other "effects" type filters though are primarily irrelevant in the digital age.

Now with that said, there are only a few times or situations where you may actually want to use those filters. Glare isn't always bad, so I wouldn't suggest buying a polarizing filter just so you can kill all glare in every image, and ND's and split ND's should only be a consideration for you once you feel you've exhausted the physical limits of your camera and you know you need them to capture images the way you want.

I also do feel that I struggle with composition a bit a times, and that's the most important thing since you can't go back later and fix that (for the most part).

Bingo! Composition and control of your exposure will ultimately be the greatest factors when defining the aesthetic of your images. They should be your foundation, and everything else you apply or do should be aimed at the refinement of the original.

 

[Clay]

Nice pics. I agree about posting a smaller size whale LOL...

Myself, I usually just keep it in Auto WB and fix it as needed in post using Levels in Photoshop. If I want to get more critical (like for a portrait session) I use one of these (Amazon.com: PhotoVision 14" Pocket One-Shot Digital Calibration Target with DVD, Collapsible Disc Exposure Aid for Digital Cameras: Camera &photo) with the auto white balance calibration setting on my dslr. I can also use the flip side's reflector as needed although you probably won't use that for your shots


If you wanna get really serious about WB calibration, you can buy one of these Amazon.com: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport: Camera & Photo which costs about the same as that 82mm unit. I would think it will be easier to use on-site (you don't have to change the filter out) but you'd have an extra step in post processing. It does seem to be all the rage on the photo pod casts I've been listening to.

As for getting a level horizon, I sometimes run into the same issue and use a photoshop (CS3) feature to correct it. Not sure if the same feature exist in Lightroom but perhaps others can chime in if it does.

HTH.

That's some interesting stuff, I'll definitely look into both of those further. Do you shoot solely in RAW?

At this point I've just been using google's picasa to edit pictures and there is a way to fix horizons on there. I've yet to dive into lightroom, hopefully this week I'll get started on that.

 

[Clay]

Excellent photos, thanks for sharing.

Thank you!

 

[Clay]

Well yes and no.

There are certain things that can't be duplicated in post. For instance, you can't polarize an unpolarized image. Reducing glare and reflection can only be achieved with a physical filter. HDR or other mulitiple image blending techniques greatly reduce the need for physical split neutral density filters, but there are still times where the physical kind is preferred, like during some long exposures or where movement is present. And solid ND filters are still needed if you want to do long exposures in bright light situations. All other "effects" type filters though are primarily irrelevant in the digital age.

Now with that said, there are only a few times or situations where you may actually want to use those filters. Glare isn't always bad, so I wouldn't suggest buying a polarizing filter just so you can kill all glare in every image, and ND's and split ND's should only be a consideration for you once you feel you've exhausted the physical limits of your camera and you know you need them to capture images the way you want.



Bingo! Composition and control of your exposure will ultimately be the greatest factors when defining the aesthetic of your images. They should be your foundation, and everything else you apply or do should be aimed at the refinement of the original.

All this makes great sense to me. I thank you for your time and thoughts.