One thing I absolutely love about photography is that there is never any shortage of new toys to purchase. My newest one arrived today and naturally I had to immediately take it out for a test shoot. The latest addition is a 10-stop Neutral Density Filter that will fit two of my primary lenses. (A 10-stop ND filter reduces the amount of light entering the camera by 10 stops, thus allowing extremely long shutter speeds even in broad daylight.) This was a 15-second exposure at f/5.6. I'd have gone longer, however it was extremely windy - as you can see from the trees and shrubs - so even the 15-seconds was really pushing my luck. You need a calm day to shoot with this type of filter, but I really wanted to try it out.
For those interested in the filter, it is the B+W 77mm MHC ND 3.0. (B+W is the name of the manufacturer and does not stand for "black and white.") The filter produces a slightly warm color cast, but shooting in RAW mode I was easily able to adjust the color temperature in the Canon RAW dialog in PSE. Based on articles I'd read about ND filters, I expected a much more dramatic color shift, but this filter was very close to the proper balance. The filter screws into the front of the lens, and it is very close to opaque. You do have to compose the shot, focus, and take an exposure reading before you attach the filter. Once the filter's in place, it's like looking through the viewfinder with the lens cap on, it's that dark. Don't forget to adjust the exposure by 10 stops when shoot, though!
Some of you will recognize this spot. It's the same bridge in Tuesday's image. Since it was close to my house, and had a waterfall beneath it, I thought it would make an ideal test subject. Suffice it to say that I'm thrilled with the filter's performance.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted the contrast, boost black, boost white, protect highlights sliders. I also adjusted the color sensitivity sliders for the best contrast. In PSE I applied a slight levels adjustment and also added a sepia photo filter.
I've been admiring the photos in your project and have yet to find one that didn't wow me. I really appreciate that you provide some details on how your shots were taken so us novices can learn from you.
November 15th, 2012
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