View Post

When to use Neutral Polarizers?

In Polarizing Filters by Tom Bol

One of my most used filters is the polarizer.  Simply put, this filter transforms flat, dull scenes into beautiful photographs.  Polarizers add contrast and saturation into landscapes.  And I love how a polarizer cuts through water glare, revealing what is beneath.   If I am headed to western Colorado to photograph fall colors, I will bring a selection of polarizers.  Brilliant stands of yellow aspen framed against a deep blue sky is one of my favorite landscapes, and a polarizer helps …

View Post

Singh-Ray Landscape Filter Combo

In Equipment & Technique, Landscapes, ND Filters, Polarizing Filters by Tom Bol

I photograph a lot of landscapes, and many times filters will transform the shot into something special. I’ve always tried to create my work in the field, not later in post-production, camera craft is very important to me. I just returned from photographing in Sedona for a week, and filters were invaluable there.  I was teaching a workshop with my wife, we had a great group, and filter use became a popular topic in the field.  During class I mentioned …

View Post

Colorado Fall Color Road Trip

In Equipment & Technique, ND Filters, Polarizing Filters by Tom Bol

Fall is one of my favorite times in Colorado.  The temperature cools down, fresh snow coats the mountain peaks, and yellow stands of aspens line the mountain valleys.  Right now, I am in the middle of a fall roadtrip photographing some of my favorite locations in Colorado.  Fall color is spectacular this year.  Not only are the aspens vibrant, but the scrub oak is flaming red and orange. Whenever I head into the field, I always bring my Singh-Ray filters …

View Post

Patagonia Bound

In Equipment & Technique by Tom Bol

Some Landscapes Capture Your Heart and Soul “Is that what I think it is?” I ask my wife, Cree, as we paddle up to the shell midden in the remote Isla Chonos of southern Chile. “No way! How could it survive all these years just laying on the beach?” I ponder as we get closer to shore. We had been paddling for nearly two months exploring these remote fjords. I have slowly become amazed, awed and obsessed by this landscape.  …

View Post

The “Five-Stop Effect”

In Equipment & Technique, Landscapes, ND Filters, Scenes & Scenarios, Water Features by Tom Bol

If you have thumbed through the pages of a photo magazine recently, chances are good you have seen the stunning effects created by ND filters. My palms start sweating when I see puffy clouds streaking across the sky. I know these clouds will look magical when I shoot at slow shutter speeds from 1-4 minutes using my 10- and 15-stop Singh-Ray Mor-Slo ND filters. Honestly, I look at clouds differently now knowing what transformative effects I can create using these filters. …