Thread: What filter for landscapes?

HDR looks interesting (had to google it) but I am not particularly into editing images at the moment. Just trying to get the best photo I can at the time and maybe try my very limited PS skills on one or two images that I really like.

Wikipedia mentioned that some newer cameras will do the HDR stuff for you which would be useful but no doubt not as could as a pro could do afterwards.

Hi, the best info on HDR is here: HDR Tutorial | High Dynamic Range Tutorial It explains the whole layer process.

If you don't want to create the images in software you will need a graduated filter. That is the only way you can have one exposure which will capture the extreme brightness of the sky and the relative darkness of the ground.

If you shoot in RAW (which I always recomend) you have the option to apply a graduated ND filter in lightroom, or whatever you use to manage your images.

There are a few stops more dynamic range in RAW that in JPEG so you can often recover cloud details that way. See here for a quick tutorial: Jao's photo blog: The new grad ND tool

The Lightroom method is manipulating the poor capture and can often produce very good results, but is bit of a bodge if the scene really needed a grad ND. A grad ND will mean getting the capture right, which is more likely to result in better results. But you need a rectangular filter holder for them, which is a bit of a faff.

I've never tried the in camera HDR, but my assumption is that they just blend three images and don't offer any layer burn through features. This is very limiting. It might be fun to play with, but I doubt you'll love the results.

Cheers, Steve