Taking photos in the middle of the day is something that a lot of landscape photographers don’t like to do. The reason for this is simple, the light is not flattering at all. This means there’s no drama in the final image. But photographer Gary Gough wants to try something different in today’s video. He shows you how you can take some gorgeous landscape photos even in mid-day sun using neutral density (ND) filters:
“I don’t know why we just aren’t out and above during the day more often. The detail when I look around in the sky is phenomenal and you never ever see detail like that first thing in the morning or last thing at night.”
Neutral density (ND) filters are simple optical accessories that help in cutting down the intensity of light entering the camera. Think of them as sunglasses, but for your camera. By using an ND filter, you can therefore use a longer shutter speed even during the daytime. This opens up an entirely new dimension for creative photography at a time of day when many consider being dull.
A very interesting observation that Gough makes is that the clouds during the day are more pronounced and dramatic than those that come out around sunset and sunrise. This makes for a strong reason to go out and take some landscape photos during the day. And to make the most out of the lighting conditions, he uses three ND filters with different strengths viz. 6-stops, 10-stops, and 15-stops.
As Gough shares in the video, you can see that there’s quite some amount of difference between the three results. For instance, at 6 seconds, the sea starts flattening but the sky details are still maintained. But if you look at the results from using the 15-stop filter, you can notice that almost all of the details are obliterated. The sky appears very blurry due to the movement of the clouds and even the water appears flat. This gives an ethereal look to the image.
Besides the unique look, one important difference you should be wary about when using ND filters is the way you calculate your exposure. Towards the end of the video, Gough shows you how you can easily do so by giving some live examples.
If you’re aspiring to be able to take some creative photos even during “unfavorable” lighting, we highly recommend that you watch the complete video. Gough’s ideas and tips will surely help you out.
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