Gradually filter it
Use an ND grad to darken the skies and transform your outdoor scenes
It can be tricky to take landscape shots during the middle of the day, especially in the summer months. There’s often lots of glare from the sun, and the exposure values between the sky and the ground will most likely be different. When you get those white fluffy clouds in the rich blue sky, though, it’s definitely worth getting out there with your camera!
Luckily there’s an accessory that will aid you on your shoot. A graduated ND filter can make the difference between a winning shot and an average one. Take our image, shot on Hound Tor in Dartmoor. The sky in this setting was looking great on the day – but when we took a shot, it appeared washed out, and the camera struggled between the different exposure values of the rocks and the sky.
Once we carefully slotted in a 0.9 ND grad, the scene was transformed. It’s important to hold the slides down the sides so you don’t get fingerprints or smudges over your images.
At the editing stage, all we had to do was boost the contrast of the scene and sharpen the final file. Easy when you have a grad!