Neutral density graduated filter

Neutral Density Graduated Filters
Quite often the correct exposure for a background in a scene is not the best one for the foreground or viceversa.

Neutral density graduated filters (ND Grads) can make a really dramatic difference to your landscape photography. Images captured on film or digitally cannot record the same range of brightness as the human eye, leading to disappointing results.

I've also added a vignette, and put a neutral density graduated filter over the top third of the sky. Beneath the B&W mixer controls are sliders for split toning. I've given this image a basic sepia tone in the shadows.

Neutral density graduated filters are the most common types, but there are also coloured versions available - gradient sunset filters, for instance, or tobacco-coloured ones.

I could have used a neutral density graduated filter to achieve this, but I felt that evidence of the use of the filter would be visible in the final shot.

See also: Density, Neutral density, Graduate, Graduated filter, Filter