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MOMENTS

In ND Filters by Don Smith

 Waning Light at Black Sand Beach, Vik, Iceland. Sony a7RIV, Sony 24-105mm, f/14, 30 seconds, ISO 100, Singh-Ray 5-stop Mor-Slo ND French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson by all accounts was the earliest pioneer of street photography and a master at capturing unique candid moments – later to be termed a “decisive moment.” He was also a co-founder of Magnum Photos. In 1952, Cartier-Bresson published a book of images that was titled in English, “The Decisive Moment.” It included a portfolio of …

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Yosemite Moonbows

In Equipment & Technique, ND Filters by Russ Bishop

Moonbow and starry sky over Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, California Yosemite National Park is a mecca for adventure and nature photography with its steep granite walls, lush meadows, alpine spires, and booming waterfalls. I’ve spent four decades exploring its unique features and it always feels like home whenever I return. But as with any well-loved location, it’s easy to find yourself in a creative quandary when it comes to seeking out new perspectives. With iconic landmarks around every turn, …

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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 …

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The Reverse Graduated ND Filter

In Equipment & Technique, ND Filters by Andrew McLachlan

Back in the days of film getting the right exposure in the field was a critical step, especially scenes where the dynamic range was greater than the contrast range of film. Scenes such as sunrise and sunset posed a challenge until Singh Ray and the late Galen Rowell pioneered Graduated Neutral Density Filters. These filters allowed photographers to control the dynamic range in a scene by selecting an appropriate filter density for the situation at hand.   A Graduated Neutral Density Filter is darkest at the top of the filter, gradually fades toward the middle, with the bottom half …

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Re-Imagining an Often Shot Location

In Equipment & Technique, Infrared Photography, ND Filters, Water Features by Don Smith

Valley View, Merced River and Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California. Sony a7RIII, Sony 24-105mm, f/16, 30 sec., ISO 100, Singh-Ray Vari-N-Trio Recently in past weeks, good friends Ron Modra and his wife MB came out to California for a visit. On Wednesday, I drove them to Yosemite National Parkand met up with another good friend/photographer Gary Hart. Fortunately for us, Glacier Point Road had just opened. We were treated to a thunderstorm sky and had a great …