Syed H |
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filter for landscape
Most of the landscape shots I have been taking come quite dull and the sharp colors are lost. Suspecting the glare, I believe I should go for a polarizer. However, I am confused about 'color enhacing' filters. If its the sharp colors I am concerned about, which one would be the appropriate choice?
March 11, 2002
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doug Nelson |
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I wonder if you are experiencing what I did with color print film? Colors were nearly always washed out. I nearly quit photography because of it.
If you like to do landscapes, consider:
- doing most of your photography in morning, evening, or light that's a bit overcast. I think you'll see a difference, regardless of whether you shoot prints or slides.
- trying a good transparency (slide) flm, such as Fuji Provia.
You may find that there's no one filter to magically enhance all of your color landscapes. A polarizer might help deepen skies.
Use a lens shade. Your lens should have come with one.
March 11, 2002
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
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Doug's right. For sharp colorful shots nothing beats diffused light and slide film. A polarizer is a bonus too. I would avoid enhancing filters. The manufacturers claim they don't affect neutral areas but whether they do or not they give shots an artificial feel. I can always tell when an enhancer was used. Not to say I don't use mine. I think since I bought one four years ago I've used it twice.
March 12, 2002
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Syed H |
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Doug and Jeff, thanks for the comments. Doug, you are right, washing away of colors is the best way to describe it. I am adding one of the snaps here to make my question more clear. This one was taken with overcast sky, and I took the meter reading from the grass portion - not the sky. However, the brown of the leaves, the red of the flowers at a distance, not to mention the lush green of the grass...all is washed away and it seems a dull/dead picture. I had not used a lens shade
March 13, 2002
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doug Nelson |
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I think you did everything right in this shot, especially your exposure metering. It may be an accurate rendering of the scene, or it may be that no film renders colors with total accuracy (although Kodachrome and Provia come close). I don't think a lens shade would have made a lot of difference in this case.
Shoot some Provia slide film, and then try a roll of Velvia (for greater color saturation) of the same subject matter. I think you'll be pleased with the results. Prints are a flat medium; they can't give us the luminosity of a transparency (slide). If you like landscapes, pay luminous-landscape.com a visit.
March 13, 2002
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
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Remember also that the correct exposure is not always the right exposure. Slightly underexposing will give you more saturated colors as well. Also in shots that include sky it is tough to keep detail and color in the sky because of slide film's narrow latitude. I would look into a graduated neutral density filter. It is very usefull in keeping detail and color in areas of a scene that might otherwise wash out.
March 13, 2002
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