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Colorado Adventure and Editorial Photographer

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Singh-Ray Filters

May 27, 2021 • Gear Talk

I’ve been using Singh-Ray filters my entire career, and I never leave the office without 3-4 in my pack.  My normal selection includes polarizers, ND filters, graduated ND and reverse ND filters.  These filters allow me to create photographs that are not possible unless I am using them.  I also find that I change compositions and perspective in the field as I use the filters, not something I can do later in the computer (more on that below).

Take a look at the image above.  We were scouting for animals in Yellowstone last week, and were driving along the north edge of Yellowstone Lake.  As luck would have it, a massive thunderstorm was building over the landscape.  The lake still had snow and ice on the water, which added terrific texture and foreground shapes.  I shot a few fast shutter speed images, and they looked dramatic with the storm clouds building over the water.  But I wanted to create a more mysterious, brooding scene. The clouds were moving fast, so I knew a long exposure would stretch the clouds across the scene.  I put on a 10 stop Mor-Slo ND filter, which gave me a 5 minute exposure.  Perfect!  This filter transformed this scene into a moody landscape.

Another day in Yellowstone we walked around Grand Prismatic Spring.  We had bright sunny conditions and lots of glare on the water…out came my LB Color Polarizer.  A participant on our workshop asked why I just didn’t saturate the colors in Photoshop later. Good question, and one I hear a lot.  First, when I use a filter in the field it helps me create a better photograph.  The filter changes the scene, which in turn changes how I want to compose the shot.  Using the polarizer on Grand Prismatic eliminated glare on the water, which revealed more color.  This caused me to move position, change perspective/composition, and get more foreground color in my shot for a better photograph.  Next, filters allow me to create photographs I can’t create in the computer (like the lake photo above).

I’m headed for Sedona in about a week.  I know a shot I want to get with Oak Creek and Cathedral Rock in the background.  But the only way it will work is using my trusty Singh-Ray filters.

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