Guest Post – Alec Johnson:
Split Neutral Density Filters Part 1
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Alec Johnson is a brilliant commercial and landscape photographer with encyclopedic knowledge of the photographic process. He has years of teaching experience and endless fascinating ideas to share. It is with great honor that I welcome Alec as a guest contributor to my site. I hope to post content from him approximately once a month. Despite sharing the same last name, Alec and I are related only in our passion for creative pursuits.
Fond regards,
Mark
In this video tutorial you’ll learn how to use a split neutral density filter while shooting, the differences between different types of split ND filters, and why these amazing tools are a landscape photographer’s best friend. You’ll also learn dynamic range 101 (what it is, why it’s important, and how you can use this knowledge to make better photographs)!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 6:40 am
Great video. I wish this had been around when I first started shopping for filters. It would have made things a lot easier.
Mark, can you do something about the video in the lightbox? I had to restart the video twice because I accidentally clicked in the shaded area which closed the lightbox, stopping the video.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 8:41 am
Hi Mark
When I click on the image, the screen goes dark and I get a message ‘error on page’.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 4:12 am
Mark: great idea have Alec Johnson add content. He is a great teacher and passionate photographer. I applaud your efforts to diversify your site and increase content. Thanks again.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 7:16 am
Very nicely done video. Excellent content. Thanks
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 4:39 pm
What a wonderfully concise explanation of why and how to use split ND filters. That’s something I’ve been wanting to try, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. Looking forward to Part 2!
And Mark, a terrific addition to the always inspiring content you offer through your site!
Friday, May 8, 2009 at 4:12 am
This has gone a long way to making my decisions as to which way to go a lot clearer.
Thank you all for your efforts.
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:11 am
Thank you Alec, an excellent video. Thanks again to you, Mark, for hosting this!
I’ve always been put off by the manual dexterity needed to work with filter holders (especially when the light is changing quickly).
When hand holding, do you touch the filters to the front of the lens (risking camera movement and, I suppose, scratches)? Or do you hold the filters a few mm away from the lens, which I’ve always thought would make positioning of the horizon less precise (especially with my shaky hands!) and maybe do funny things with reflections?
I’d love to know how people handle this.
Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Thanks Alec. You sold me on hand-holding. I was going to buy a holder system but now I think I’ll save that money and spend it on a bigger filter instead. Like Arthur, I think some tips on hand-holding technique would be nice.