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neutral density

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

The neutral density filter has to be the most poorly named in the wide world of photographic filters. All it means is that the filter is a grey color that filters incoming light in a way that does not alter the color of that light. That is, it's color-neutral.

Anyway, this morning was my first go with the Cokin graduated ND8 filter. And I think it's gong to be very very good. The purpose of a graduated ND filter is to balance the brightness of the sky with that of the land. The purpose of that, in turn, is to get a more even exposure between all elements in the photo. Yes, it darkens the sky quite a bit, but the meter in the camera averages it all out.

I'm really looking forward to the results, both in the fairly domestic scenes of the rice paddies in the area, and in any landscapes I may encounter.

The other filter I bought was a normal ND8 filter (no graduation). The purpose of this is to let the camera's shutter stay open longer in bright conditions. I perverted this purpose to leave the shutter open for very long periods indeed as I photographed a waterfall. Hopefully, it will wind up some of those ethereal effects you sometimes see where the water has turned into a fluid material in the pic -- a ghostly stamp showing the peculiarities of each moment's water passage.