One of the best landscape photography books out there (and I have about 30 from the likes of Ansel Adams, Thomas Heaton, Adam Gibbs, Nigel Danson, Andrew Baruffi, Guy Tal, Peter Watson, Joe Cornish, David Noton, etc.). The forward by Adam Gibbs is a pisser. Buy it!
I like your videos, in general (though I miss the combo of you and Uncle Grumpy since you moved). This video, where you just straight talked the filter ins-and-outs was really good. You should do more of this kind of practical advice on ancillary gear, from time to time!
Gavin, the GENUINE look of excitement and happiness on your face during that sunrise is EXACTLY the moment that shows your genuine love for what you do. I know the feeling well and chase it everytime I go out. That was a moment of real and unscripted emotion for photography and the amazing atmosphere the world shows us from time to time. Thanks for sharing that moment.
You are 100% correct! I carry $150 10 stop neutral density filter and a $90 CPL and all of my lenses are the same filter size "67mm". I do own one of those slide in filter holder systems but I never use it, looks cool though 😎.
I absolutely agree to only use a CPL. I learned that in 1988 from a KODAK Co. photographer in Yellowstone N‘tl Park when he let me use his for a test shot. i immediately bought a CPL in the next town and I never regret it. Thanks for this great video! greetings to NS.
The ‘circular’ in CPL is the mode of polarisation (they don’t have to be round !) because ‘linear’ polarisers can interfere with the metering system in cameras, so a quarter wave retardation filter is added to a linear filter to correct the problem. The linear can get a little more polarising effect in some circumstances.
I have used CPL and ND filters for years but I just ordered a graduated ND today. And now I’m even more interested in using it. I think it will be fun to give it a try. And I enjoy trying to get an effect outside of editing software like we use to do with film.
I still use ND and ND grads. Call me old fashion but I do like trying to get it “right” in camera. I have tried the Lightroom approach. The two approaches do give different result imho.
Gavin, Gavin, Gavin. Amanda Can't possibly steal your line (or anything else). You're married. Memorize this phrase...What's mine is hers, what's hers is hers. You're welcome😂 Great filter tips! The examples are really helpful. I use filters once or twice a year. I can think of a couple images that would have been better with an ND filter smoothing out wind chop.
Dear Fototripper... Although I have mentioned how grateful I am to you all for bringing a smile to me during sombre times.. I do want to thank you for the valuable lessons, insights and experience regarding photography that you have given to us.... Thank you Gare... I mean Gavin....
I use nd filters along with a cpl to expose stream beds in my waterfall photos. The long exposure allows the stream bed to show through the moving water.
Nice marching. A very good vid with real information. I played with ND filters once. I did stop the water and got some blur and it was a fun day. The Polarizer is very old school. As a kid seeing photos where the clouds were black made a big impression on me. I have some old time pics on the wall.
I like my Freewell magnetic filters. I mainly use their cpl filter. They also make CPL ND filters, which are nice. No doubling up filters to get extra long exposures with polarization. They don't have vignetting or colour cast.
"Turd polisher." I can't imagine what filter company wouldn't want you as a spokesman ;-) I actually think of Michael Shaneblum and Ben Harvey when I think of long exposures. Spectacular image of the sunrise, thank you for sharing. From my point of view, always take the shot and then explain it: Priorities! I do hope the $$$ slows down WRT the church rehab. Keep your eyes on how awesome it will eventually be. Cheers!
I really love your videos this one in particular. I only now use a Polarizer and could not persuade my friend that filters where not needed. I agree they are expensive and also can produce colour casts which are difficult to process. I do search for your videos if I haven't seen them. Enjoy your amusing dialogue. Merry Christmas to you both!
When I first started, I fell into the filter buying sink hole, and have quite a few, all gathering dust apart from my polarising and Lee big stoppers (10 and 15 stops)
I agree with you about the filters, for all the reasons you outlined. A CPL is pretty much grafted onto my lens. Thankfully, almost all my lenses are 77mm so I just need the one CPL. I do use NiSi ND filters, but rarely stronger than 6 stops. I pair the 3-stop or 6-stop with a CPL when I use an ND at all. P.S. - there are variances in color cast between brands, That's why I switched from Lee square filters (very blue) to NiSi (neutral). I understand NiSi make magnetic filters now. So, get in touch, NiSi. 😉😂
Hi Gavin. Watching your videos from Myanmar. I wouldn’t forget about you because you inspired me to pick up camera and enjoy the process. Keep it up. Cheers.
The sunrise photo is taken down the road from my dad’s house. I noticed you were walking the beach at the Five Islands Provincial Park (rock called Old Wife).Hoping to see a photo of the diamond rocks behind the park. Really enjoying your videos.
Glad you've found a few places to photograph here. ;) Figured it was a CPL when the video started, and I agree. Edit to add: New segment? Hardcastle's HARD Truths!
From my film days I have a butt load of correction and effect filters. Now, I shoot digital raw, so I can do a lot of PP corrections. I shoot landscapes, wildlife, macro, architectural, and some street (sans identifiable people). I currently only use Polarizers (in 3 strengths), variable ND, and regular ND filters in various strengths so I can stack them or use with a polarizer to get to the exposure setting I want. Since to the Canon R system I have been able to use drop-in filters on my bulbous super wide lenses - a good improvement.
I started watching your video's a few weeks ago and so far I've really enjoyed watching them. Yes it's probably me that has been watching most of your back catalogue of video's. I'm a poor bus driver from the UK so don't have a lot of money to spend on the best gear. In fact I stopped doing much in the way of photography years ago. I used to use 35mm film. My first venture into digital was a 2mp Kodak point and shoot then moved on to a Canon 350D when they first came out. I actually did a few wedding shoots with that camera. I sort of lost interest after that and didn't bother keeping up to date with all of the gear. Last year I decided I wanted to get back into it and bought a 90D and the Sony ZV-E10. My thought was I could use the Canon for the photography and main topic video shots and the Sony would be used for B roll and back up video. I've still not really done much with either camera but I am really getting the desire to get out there again. I know mirrorless is really the way to go but I couldn't afford the cost of a good mirrorless so a good DSLR was the next best option for me. I love watching your video's and I'm so envious of your landscapes out there in Canada. I love the collaborations you've done with some of the other guys out there and have learned quite a bit about modern photography from you guys. Keep up the good work Gavin
The first 46 years of my photography I mostly shot b&w film. I still have a stack of different filters in my cabinet that I used then. Ever since I started shooting digital in 2005 I have only used CPLs for certain shots. No need for anything else for my work. I never did figure out which is the clean end of a turd to pick up for polishing so I mostly don't bother with them anymore. Still guilty of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear for some of my shots, though. Please tell Amanda hello for me. She is a bright spot on this cold overcast day here in Tennessee. :))
I completely agree Gavin, once you get to a 10 stop without the colour fringing and vignetting as they have all achieved many moons ago now..... all they can really do now is try and come up with pointless gimmicky things like little dials that turn a gear that turns the polarizer, crap like that. This reminds me of Christmas 1994 when i opened a present and it was 'The Best Rock Album in the World...EVER!!' CD... then a few months later my brother got 'The Best Rock Album in the World EVER 2!!!'.... A world full of contradiction and confusion ha ha. Great Video mate hope your new home is coming along nicely, all the best.
I could not agree more about filters spot on. I have used the same cpl a rather cheap for over 13 years with no problem, I'd buy the same again. After seeing the light (as one does) in your vid I think I'll need to re edit one of my Turnberry shots it was so red I toned it down no one would believe it was real.
That was some sunrise, beautiful. I rarely used any filters, CPL is in my bag and often gets used but the NDs that I have, are not much use. One of my NDs currently resides on Rannoch Moor, I lost it 2 years ago. 😂 I don't miss it.
I totally agree!!. I have the Lee system and i am using ND's for long exposure... However my new Lee CP keeps unscrewing itself from the holder!. I dropped it on the beach the other day. Maybe i should talk to Lee customer service..... Great and interesting video!!
I forget about you every week (until the next video!). Haven't missed one in years. I carry only a CPL but, once in a great while, I'll dig out a dark ND for some specific purpose.
Yeah, I use CPL a lot as well, and various grades of ND (3, 6, and 10 stop). That's the H&Y K-series filter, so the CPL is drop-in, and the NDs are magnetic. They now produce circular filters that are magnetic as well. Whichever shape you go for, magnetic filters make life so much easier, and I haven't touched my screw on filters for years.
For landscapes and other types of photos in natural settings, I always use a polarizer, especially now that it is much easier to use handheld thanks to image stabilization. For cityscape and street photos, I sometimes use 3-stop ND filter if I need more motion blur as polarizers don't work in an urban environment due to metallic surfaces. Otherwise, I just use a clear filter for protection, especially with epilepsy I don't want to have a seizure and fall onto the road or sidewalk and shake my camera back and forth on concrete or asphalt with an exposed lens. A protective filter helps me to relax and worry less about damaging my lens and concentrate on getting the photo. Both my lenses share the same filter size, and I never change filters out in the field, so a filter system would provide no financial or practical benefits, so regular screw on filters are good enough for me.
Top content as always Gavin. Stunning sunrise 🖤 Great video, honest and accurate, grad nds are a relic of the film days, yes there are those people who just have to do it in camera (because they can’t embrace computer processing most likely) and need to lug all that extra gear around and complain about its limitations. But lets face it, it’s not necessary, a good cpl and a heavy nd and you’re good to go 👍🏻
Good advice. I have been doing professional landscape photography for 5+ years now. I use the CPL quite a bit, and use ND's on maybe on 1% of images, if that. I did liked the "smooth water" app on my old Sony A7R ii, which allowed me to ditch the ND almost all together, and with no color cast issues, but they dropped the apps option on the newer camera additions. I store my lenses with the CPL on - that is my default mode....
What a magical sunrise! You are spot on with a lot of what you say with filters, and if I could only carry one, it would be a CPL. My "sweet spot" for rivers and waterfalls is 2 to 8 seconds, so I often carry a ND/CPL combo filter around 4 stops (ND32). I've been carrying the Kase filters and I like them because the magnetic rings stick together and you can stack still maintaining minimum space in the bag or pocket. The only other thing I pay close attention to when purchasing filters is the type of coatings they use. I like filters with tempered glass, and coatings similar to the lens I am putting them on to as well. Making sure the back of the filter is coated as well is important when shooting into the light otherwise you get that flare too often. Thanks again for another honest and informative video.
Many years ago I bought yellow, orange, red , blue filters. Today, I'm happy I did as I use them for my B&W photography, digital as well as film. I also use other filters to avoid pfaffing about editing photos on the computer.
I agree. I think you buy into a filter system more than a specific filter. Once you get to NISI or LEE...they are all top quality. Just...do they make the adapters/rings you need and have a wide variety of filters for whatever you are trying to achieve and do they stand behind the product they sell. Cheers!
I tried a Breakthrough Photography ND filter once. The thing that set it apart, was the way the water/rain droplets wiped off so cleanly and easily. It was pretty sexy!
Gavin, often thought the same about high end CPL filters, but you're the first respected photographer (that I've come across) to say it publicly. Thank you for that. Merry (Happy) Christmas you & Amanda... have a wonderful holiday season.
I do the same as you with my CPL for years Gavin. You´re in the right position on this. if you get up early from bed and take photography in a serious way, you don´t need any nd filter!
You make fun and good videos. I have shot since 1980, both for my own amusement and for money, and I never used filters much, except UV-filters for protection that I have on all my lenses as a standard. I often shot against the light and then I just unscrew the UV-filter before and I know I have a clean front lens. That was also very convenient at an event I shot when a dog licked the front of the lens with its drooly tongue , I just screwed the UV-filter off and continue to shot until I could clean the UV-filter. As for NDs, you can just shot multiple shots if you need a longer exposure time. So if you only can hit 1 second but want 10 seconds, then do ten 1 second exposures and average them in Photoshop. Also much of the CPL effect (though maybe not all) can be achieved with Clarity and Dehaze in Lightroom as well as Dodge/Burn similar techniques (where the gradients in Lightroom works really well for that since they allow only highlight adjustments for example if that is what one wants to dampen at a particular spot). I just spent a whole one year long project where I've done a large amount of landscapes. I have carried both CPL and ND filters with me all the time and used them exactly 0 times.
I’m gonna watch this when I get back from having breakfast somewhere because this is the first video I see whenever I open the app 😂. Throughout the day I’ll open and close the app without having watched anything. I probably do that like once per hour everyday 😅. So I’ve seen this thumbnail more than five times already lol
Great video on the filters for me, Gavin. I don't see how you can stay so calm when you get the light just right. I get so excited ,I forget things. Lol
Hi Gavin, i have just recently subscribed to your channel and have thoroughly enjoyed every Video i have seen. You and Amanda and your cronies are so much fun to watch and i love your photography and the places that you visit. Your little egg eating mate is such a character
I hope you and Amanda are doing ok out there in N.S and this video comes at just the right time because I am debating on whether to invest in a magnetic filter system. I'm not a pro, just an amateur who loves taking photos as a hobby at this point but it is a hobby that I'm passionate about. You have given me something to think about so thank you.
When looking at it from the perspective of using certain lenses such as Sigma 14mm 1.8 or even Rokinon 2.8 the square filter and its socket are indispensable for both CLP and ND. I have to confess that I need a CPL and there I have caught my fingers with the 14mm 1.8 because the expense is unfailingly double to cover all my lenses. I have to say also that sometimes I tend to choose as a priority some compositions with so much difference in latitude (Dynamic Range) in the shot that a graduated 4stops would not be bad either despite the almost 12 steps of latitude of my D850 (flat settings at 50iso)...
ahhh! those colors. It just triggers that primitive part of the brain that goes "Gooooold...I love goooold! It glitters and shines, it must be gold" It never gets boring to look at.
Dude - you so totally convinced me to go out and buy a rad filter kit so I can take boss pics like you! Cheers, mate! Any other keen dope I should acquire? I mean if I can afford it after I buy a crate of fried pork skins… 😂😂😂. For real - great videos, both photography and funny.
You are kinda the reason I haven't bought the square filters. The other reason is that in a few locations I've seen 400+ euros of shattered filters on the ground. I 100% know my butterfingers would smash them really very quickly considering I drop my circular one pretty much every time I use them!
Hi Gavin, greetings from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. First thing, I've been watching your videos for more than a year now. I think I may have missed a couple but I'm always looking out each week for your next video. I'm subscribed and I've dinged that bell. I got back into landscape photography a number of years ago like a cat to water at the start, but things gradually got better, a lot of mistakes, but things got better. I retired last week because I'm knocking on a bit and I wanted more time out with the camera before things started to seize up. For filters, I honestly only use a CPL and it stays on the lens all the time. As the camera has a fixed lens, it seemed the sensible thing to do. I use it as a polarizer and an ND filter and it does the job fine. I'm struggling with limited dynamic range just now so that will be my priority for the New Year. I don't use ND filters or graduated ones so that extra dynamic range will make more contrasty scenes possible and less blown highlights and noisy darks. Look forward to your next video Gavin.
WOW, that first shot was gorgeous! The colors were so rich! I appreciated the filter discussion. I have always kept a UV/haze filter and a polarizer on my camera, but a neutral density filter once saved a key shot for me. I had planned for weeks to be at Reflections Lakes at Mt. Rainier during a vacation. It was literally THE shot I really wanted to get during this trip. When I got there, it was the first time in weeks the mountain had not been hidden by clouds, so I couldn't believe my luck. But the morning I was at the lakes, no matter what I did, the snow on the mountain was either overexposed or the reflection in the water was too dark. I was so frustrated. But some other folks there loaned me a neutral density filter. It was awkward to use, as it was square and I had to hold it in front of my lens, but it saved the shot. It's not perfect, and some of the snow is still too hot, but it was a helluva lot better than my other shots.
You speak a lot of sense as always and the last minute of this video with you talking to your screen double was priceless. Appeals to my sense of humour, as a fellow Yorkshire man, now exiled in East Anglia.
I agree with what you say from a practical perspective, and it may some form of self-sadism on my part, but I actually enjoy using filters even though I know I can do it in Photoshop. I love the act of making the image out in the field as that is where I get to relax and be in the moment and be away from a screen. There is something nice about seeing what you create on the back of the screen, even though I will be sticking into Lightroom later on. Good luck with the Church roof, my own renovation project is costing so much I may as well of bought the entire Lee filter range, it would have been the same value for money :-)
I have to say that morning shot was terrific. Look like you are somewhere in the Bay of Fundy aren't you? You went portrait on that shot, I wonder why. Really great shot. I use filters, I like them but I see your point. I have to shot with whatever light I get cause I don't always have the luxury to arrive to the field at the perfect time. So I do have to carry them all up to 10 stops. 100% totally agree with the quality level once you get to the pro level. There are countless reviews of all of them and every single one of them end up say, no bad, it is hard to see the difference between one brand and the other.
I actually bought a 10 stop ND filter for less than $30 a few years ago, and was so impressed, that I bought a second one just in case I damaged the first. Zero color cast and excellent sharpness. It had the hilarious brand name Cacagoo. I still use it years later.
Hey Gavin.... I use Nisi filters when I feel the need. Both graduated and solid slide in types as well as a couple of cpl's. I recently picked up a cpl with a 6 stop nd built into it....I quite like it! My reason for continuing to use filters is that I prefer the "exercise" of capturing the image much more than I tolerate the post processing! I have a dislike of sitting at a desk when I can be out taking pictures. We carry a computer with a lens on it so I try to keep improving my skills with it! Thanks for entertaining as well as informative!!
I like the graduated neutral density filter for bright sky and dark foreground, the Hoya R72 filter for IR, the orange and red filters for black and white scenics and the yellow-green filter for black and white portraits. This keeps me from a lot of post processing. I totally agree on using polarizing filters for landscapes and plant photography.
Having blown hundreds of pounds on a 150mm square system with ND grads of all kinds and for which I had to buy a larger bag to accommodate, I realised it hardly ever got used so just sold it all on eBay. I now have a few polarisers (can’t be bothered with step rings) and a couple of circular ND filters which rarely get used but take up no space. I do sometimes wish I had kept the 150 square polariser as I would often not bother attaching it, just hold it in front of the lens. I also noticed the ND filters would vignette noticeably on very wide angle lenses as they were tinted glass so at the edges there was more thickness for the light to pass through, coated glass is much better for this.
I was enjoying some luscious chocolate while watching this and decided to give a thumbs-up. Problem is, I now have a ugly great thumbprint on my CPL. Would you do another video on how to clean chocolate-based thumbprints off filters, lenses, viewfinder, monitor, etc? Or gerrin touch .....
Don’t worry.. if you ever stop making videos… we’ll never forget about Amanda.. and it frees up time to rewatch Uncle Grumpy’s or Thomas H’s videos lol. Great vid.. agree with CPL & 10-stop for specific works.
Great topic. Totally agree about Grads. And once you get past that, there is no need for those awful filter holder systems. But I would argue there is a middle ground between a CPL and a 10 stop ND. IR filters can be fun, and I have convinced my missus to buy me a 1/4 Pro Mist for Xmas, for ethereal scenes and hopefully taming high contrast scenes. We will see (maybe I should have got her to buy Chasing Awe instead ;-) ). So filters are not going away with me, and I the workflow is so much easier using the magnetic systems. Hate carrying around hoods anyway and tend to deal with sun flare with my hands.
I have always enjoyed PL, and “recently” CPL, filters and often just leave the filter on during my day’s shooting. Of course the day has to be decently bright. Just remember, and unsure if this was mentioned, your direction relative to the Sun is critical in gaining the full polarizing effect. When not using a CPL is use a CL filter - unsure why but just an old habit! Thanks.
My favorite CPL is the sprockett color enhancer from Singh-Ray. 1 CPL filter covers all my lenses with different size step-ups rings. That and a 10 stop Lee ND. . Christmas came early for you, with that beautiful sunrise. Gotta love your description much of muchness :-)
This Book Though... www.fototripper.com/chasing-awe-landscape-photography-book-gavin-hardcastle/
One of the best landscape photography books out there (and I have about 30 from the likes of Ansel Adams, Thomas Heaton, Adam Gibbs, Nigel Danson, Andrew Baruffi, Guy Tal, Peter Watson, Joe Cornish, David Noton, etc.). The forward by Adam Gibbs is a pisser. Buy it!
@@peterfritzphoto Thanks a lot Peter.
If i didnt have it already I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Such a great book 🤘🏼
@@mattleccese Thanks Matt :)
@@mattleccese Ditto!
Lol. I don't think I have one streaky sky shot in my catalogue. You'll be hearing from my solicitor.
Put him in touch with Chad. L. McMacPhail. He'll sort you out good and proper.
I don't need notifications... I look for you every week! Love the channel.
I like your videos, in general (though I miss the combo of you and Uncle Grumpy since you moved). This video, where you just straight talked the filter ins-and-outs was really good. You should do more of this kind of practical advice on ancillary gear, from time to time!
Gavin, the GENUINE look of excitement and happiness on your face during that sunrise is EXACTLY the moment that shows your genuine love for what you do. I know the feeling well and chase it everytime I go out. That was a moment of real and unscripted emotion for photography and the amazing atmosphere the world shows us from time to time. Thanks for sharing that moment.
That sunrise, the reflections on the water...almost painterly❤
You are 100% correct! I carry $150 10 stop neutral density filter and a $90 CPL and all of my lenses are the same filter size "67mm". I do own one of those slide in filter holder systems but I never use it, looks cool though 😎.
Thanks Gavin, has helped me make a decision to purchase a CPL and only a ND10 for my needs. Oh also an infrared for those bright sunny summer days.
I absolutely agree to only use a CPL. I learned that in 1988 from a KODAK Co. photographer in Yellowstone N‘tl Park when he let me use his for a test shot. i immediately bought a CPL in the next town and I never regret it. Thanks for this great video! greetings to NS.
Am I the only one who thought that rock resembled a certain body part? 😅 Looking very splendid and triumphant in the morning light.
I absolutely love how you present everything in an entertaining, enjoyable, and teachable manner. Thank you.
The ‘circular’ in CPL is the mode of polarisation (they don’t have to be round !) because ‘linear’ polarisers can interfere with the metering system in cameras, so a quarter wave retardation filter is added to a linear filter to correct the problem. The linear can get a little more polarising effect in some circumstances.
I have used CPL and ND filters for years but I just ordered a graduated ND today. And now I’m even more interested in using it. I think it will be fun to give it a try. And I enjoy trying to get an effect outside of editing software like we use to do with film.
I think youl find the filters great ,
I still use ND and ND grads. Call me old fashion but I do like trying to get it “right” in camera. I have tried the Lightroom approach. The two approaches do give different result imho.
Gavin, Gavin, Gavin. Amanda Can't possibly steal your line (or anything else). You're married. Memorize this phrase...What's mine is hers, what's hers is hers. You're welcome😂
Great filter tips! The examples are really helpful. I use filters once or twice a year. I can think of a couple images that would have been better with an ND filter smoothing out wind chop.
Magnificent image @6:45! The sort of seastack image you got on the West cost!
Dear Fototripper... Although I have mentioned how grateful I am to you all for bringing a smile to me during sombre times.. I do want to thank you for the valuable lessons, insights and experience regarding photography that you have given to us.... Thank you Gare... I mean Gavin....
phew, that was close ;)
@@fototripper :)
I use nd filters along with a cpl to expose stream beds in my waterfall photos. The long exposure allows the stream bed to show through the moving water.
Nice marching. A very good vid with real information. I played with ND filters once. I did stop the water and got some blur and it was a fun day. The Polarizer is very old school. As a kid seeing photos where the clouds were black made a big impression on me. I have some old time pics on the wall.
I like my Freewell magnetic filters. I mainly use their cpl filter. They also make CPL ND filters, which are nice. No doubling up filters to get extra long exposures with polarization. They don't have vignetting or colour cast.
"Turd polisher." I can't imagine what filter company wouldn't want you as a spokesman ;-) I actually think of Michael Shaneblum and Ben Harvey when I think of long exposures. Spectacular image of the sunrise, thank you for sharing. From my point of view, always take the shot and then explain it: Priorities! I do hope the $$$ slows down WRT the church rehab. Keep your eyes on how awesome it will eventually be. Cheers!
As crazy good photographer you are also a great communicator Thank you ! This Fundy bay shot, Stunning!
I really love your videos this one in particular. I only now use a Polarizer and could not persuade my friend that filters where not needed. I agree they are expensive and also can produce colour casts which are difficult to process. I do search for your videos if I haven't seen them. Enjoy your amusing dialogue. Merry Christmas to you both!
When I first started, I fell into the filter buying sink hole, and have quite a few, all gathering dust apart from my polarising and Lee big stoppers (10 and 15 stops)
Wow what an incredible sunrise shot !
I’m glad i got my notification because i was about to forget your name Thomas
Who are you again..? I'm always thinking about dabbling in filters Gavin, and that's about the best summing up I've heard.
Wowza-what a sunrise. Great stuff Gavin!
I agree with you about the filters, for all the reasons you outlined. A CPL is pretty much grafted onto my lens. Thankfully, almost all my lenses are 77mm so I just need the one CPL. I do use NiSi ND filters, but rarely stronger than 6 stops. I pair the 3-stop or 6-stop with a CPL when I use an ND at all.
P.S. - there are variances in color cast between brands, That's why I switched from Lee square filters (very blue) to NiSi (neutral). I understand NiSi make magnetic filters now. So, get in touch, NiSi. 😉😂
What a sunrise!!! I'd guess you are glad it is fall/winter time and you don't have to get up in the wee-hours...
Hi Gavin. Watching your videos from Myanmar.
I wouldn’t forget about you because you inspired me to pick up camera and enjoy the process.
Keep it up. Cheers.
The sunrise photo is taken down the road from my dad’s house. I noticed you were walking the beach at the Five Islands Provincial Park (rock called Old Wife).Hoping to see a photo of the diamond rocks behind the park. Really enjoying your videos.
Quite informative and yet entertaining bit of content here. Great work Gav. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you've found a few places to photograph here. ;)
Figured it was a CPL when the video started, and I agree.
Edit to add: New segment? Hardcastle's HARD Truths!
Very much liked this episode Gavin, keep up the good work! 👍🏻
From my film days I have a butt load of correction and effect filters. Now, I shoot digital raw, so I can do a lot of PP corrections. I shoot landscapes, wildlife, macro, architectural, and some street (sans identifiable people). I currently only use Polarizers (in 3 strengths), variable ND, and regular ND filters in various strengths so I can stack them or use with a polarizer to get to the exposure setting I want.
Since to the Canon R system I have been able to use drop-in filters on my bulbous super wide lenses - a good improvement.
I started watching your video's a few weeks ago and so far I've really enjoyed watching them. Yes it's probably me that has been watching most of your back catalogue of video's. I'm a poor bus driver from the UK so don't have a lot of money to spend on the best gear. In fact I stopped doing much in the way of photography years ago. I used to use 35mm film. My first venture into digital was a 2mp Kodak point and shoot then moved on to a Canon 350D when they first came out. I actually did a few wedding shoots with that camera. I sort of lost interest after that and didn't bother keeping up to date with all of the gear. Last year I decided I wanted to get back into it and bought a 90D and the Sony ZV-E10. My thought was I could use the Canon for the photography and main topic video shots and the Sony would be used for B roll and back up video. I've still not really done much with either camera but I am really getting the desire to get out there again. I know mirrorless is really the way to go but I couldn't afford the cost of a good mirrorless so a good DSLR was the next best option for me. I love watching your video's and I'm so envious of your landscapes out there in Canada. I love the collaborations you've done with some of the other guys out there and have learned quite a bit about modern photography from you guys. Keep up the good work Gavin
The first 46 years of my photography I mostly shot b&w film. I still have a stack of different filters in my cabinet that I used then. Ever since I started shooting digital in 2005 I have only used CPLs for certain shots. No need for anything else for my work. I never did figure out which is the clean end of a turd to pick up for polishing so I mostly don't bother with them anymore. Still guilty of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear for some of my shots, though. Please tell Amanda hello for me. She is a bright spot on this cold overcast day here in Tennessee. :))
She's always a bright spot :)
I completely agree Gavin, once you get to a 10 stop without the colour fringing and vignetting as they have all achieved many moons ago now..... all they can really do now is try and come up with pointless gimmicky things like little dials that turn a gear that turns the polarizer, crap like that. This reminds me of Christmas 1994 when i opened a present and it was 'The Best Rock Album in the World...EVER!!' CD... then a few months later my brother got 'The Best Rock Album in the World EVER 2!!!'.... A world full of contradiction and confusion ha ha. Great Video mate hope your new home is coming along nicely, all the best.
I could not agree more about filters spot on. I have used the same cpl a rather cheap for over 13 years with no problem, I'd buy the same again. After seeing the light (as one does) in your vid I think I'll need to re edit one of my Turnberry shots it was so red I toned it down no one would believe it was real.
That was some sunrise, beautiful.
I rarely used any filters, CPL is in my bag and often gets used but the NDs that I have, are not much use.
One of my NDs currently resides on Rannoch Moor, I lost it 2 years ago. 😂
I don't miss it.
Beautiful shots Gavin And yes that's all the filters you ever need
I totally agree!!. I have the Lee system and i am using ND's for long exposure... However my new Lee CP keeps unscrewing itself from the holder!. I dropped it on the beach the other day. Maybe i should talk to Lee customer service..... Great and interesting video!!
I forget about you every week (until the next video!). Haven't missed one in years. I carry only a CPL but, once in a great while, I'll dig out a dark ND for some specific purpose.
Yeah, I use CPL a lot as well, and various grades of ND (3, 6, and 10 stop). That's the H&Y K-series filter, so the CPL is drop-in, and the NDs are magnetic. They now produce circular filters that are magnetic as well. Whichever shape you go for, magnetic filters make life so much easier, and I haven't touched my screw on filters for years.
For landscapes and other types of photos in natural settings, I always use a polarizer, especially now that it is much easier to use handheld thanks to image stabilization. For cityscape and street photos, I sometimes use 3-stop ND filter if I need more motion blur as polarizers don't work in an urban environment due to metallic surfaces. Otherwise, I just use a clear filter for protection, especially with epilepsy I don't want to have a seizure and fall onto the road or sidewalk and shake my camera back and forth on concrete or asphalt with an exposed lens. A protective filter helps me to relax and worry less about damaging my lens and concentrate on getting the photo. Both my lenses share the same filter size, and I never change filters out in the field, so a filter system would provide no financial or practical benefits, so regular screw on filters are good enough for me.
Top content as always Gavin. Stunning sunrise 🖤 Great video, honest and accurate, grad nds are a relic of the film days, yes there are those people who just have to do it in camera (because they can’t embrace computer processing most likely) and need to lug all that extra gear around and complain about its limitations. But lets face it, it’s not necessary, a good cpl and a heavy nd and you’re good to go 👍🏻
Good advice. I have been doing professional landscape photography for 5+ years now. I use the CPL quite a bit, and use ND's on maybe on 1% of images, if that. I did liked the "smooth water" app on my old Sony A7R ii, which allowed me to ditch the ND almost all together, and with no color cast issues, but they dropped the apps option on the newer camera additions. I store my lenses with the CPL on - that is my default mode....
Great advice, I'll buy the one Gavin recommends, manufacturers... get in touch.
Dang that sunrise dude…! I only have a CPL in my bag, I have a 4 stop ND but never use it. Great vid as always! 😎📸
Yeah I should have let you know I was gonna be there. Not too far for you.
@@fototripper For sure…next time you swing up nearby let me know, I’m down to join. 😎👍🏻
Gorgeous sunrise shot Gavin. That’s all I use cpl and a nd10 filter nice and simple 👍
thank you Gavin - you just saved me a bucket load of money!!!
What a magical sunrise! You are spot on with a lot of what you say with filters, and if I could only carry one, it would be a CPL. My "sweet spot" for rivers and waterfalls is 2 to 8 seconds, so I often carry a ND/CPL combo filter around 4 stops (ND32). I've been carrying the Kase filters and I like them because the magnetic rings stick together and you can stack still maintaining minimum space in the bag or pocket. The only other thing I pay close attention to when purchasing filters is the type of coatings they use. I like filters with tempered glass, and coatings similar to the lens I am putting them on to as well. Making sure the back of the filter is coated as well is important when shooting into the light otherwise you get that flare too often. Thanks again for another honest and informative video.
That sunrise was spectacular! I don't blame you for getting so excited.
Many years ago I bought yellow, orange, red , blue filters. Today, I'm happy I did as I use them for my B&W photography, digital as well as film. I also use other filters to avoid pfaffing about editing photos on the computer.
I agree. I think you buy into a filter system more than a specific filter. Once you get to NISI or LEE...they are all top quality. Just...do they make the adapters/rings you need and have a wide variety of filters for whatever you are trying to achieve and do they stand behind the product they sell. Cheers!
Good video with good advice, always look forward to seeing you keep the content coming.
Well said that man! I use a UV (mainly protection) and occasionally ND for long exposure. the rest are rubbish.
The Lake shot with the 10 stop is absolutely beautiful.
You should call your next book Catching Awe! 👍
We wouldn't forget you Gavin, who could forget a Yorkshire man who doesn't drink tea ! :)
I tried a Breakthrough Photography ND filter once. The thing that set it apart, was the way the water/rain droplets wiped off so cleanly and easily. It was pretty sexy!
Hey Gavin, excellent points and info aboout filters. And spectacular photo at the beach! Love watching your channel and enjoy the humor in many! 👍👍😂😂
I will never forget you Gavin.
Gavin, often thought the same about high end CPL filters, but you're the first respected photographer (that I've come across) to say it publicly. Thank you for that. Merry (Happy) Christmas you & Amanda... have a wonderful holiday season.
Unbelievable light ♥️👍🏻
I do the same as you with my CPL for years Gavin. You´re in the right position on this. if you get up early from bed and take photography in a serious way, you don´t need any nd filter!
@18.42 insert 'Simple Minds/Don't You for Get about me'.. great vid as usual Gavin, and I'm a street shooter!
Wow, I had totally forgot about Gavin. I guess I should put on the notifications or he will end up in my filter junk pile 😂 thanks for the content
You make fun and good videos. I have shot since 1980, both for my own amusement and for money, and I never used filters much, except UV-filters for protection that I have on all my lenses as a standard. I often shot against the light and then I just unscrew the UV-filter before and I know I have a clean front lens. That was also very convenient at an event I shot when a dog licked the front of the lens with its drooly tongue , I just screwed the UV-filter off and continue to shot until I could clean the UV-filter. As for NDs, you can just shot multiple shots if you need a longer exposure time. So if you only can hit 1 second but want 10 seconds, then do ten 1 second exposures and average them in Photoshop. Also much of the CPL effect (though maybe not all) can be achieved with Clarity and Dehaze in Lightroom as well as Dodge/Burn similar techniques (where the gradients in Lightroom works really well for that since they allow only highlight adjustments for example if that is what one wants to dampen at a particular spot). I just spent a whole one year long project where I've done a large amount of landscapes. I have carried both CPL and ND filters with me all the time and used them exactly 0 times.
I’m gonna watch this when I get back from having breakfast somewhere because this is the first video I see whenever I open the app 😂. Throughout the day I’ll open and close the app without having watched anything. I probably do that like once per hour everyday 😅. So I’ve seen this thumbnail more than five times already lol
the day starts with a smile. Photography with that punch of humor. great. Greetings from Schaumburg
Gonna get me a CPL - thanks for the honest review and advice...
Great video on the filters for me, Gavin. I don't see how you can stay so calm when you get the light just right. I get so excited ,I forget things. Lol
Aye, sometimes I go all of a dither.
Hi Gavin, i have just recently subscribed to your channel and have thoroughly enjoyed every Video i have seen. You and Amanda and your cronies are so much fun to watch and i love your photography and the places that you visit. Your little egg eating mate is such a character
I hope you and Amanda are doing ok out there in N.S and this video comes at just the right time because I am debating on whether to invest in a magnetic filter system. I'm not a pro, just an amateur who loves taking photos as a hobby at this point but it is a hobby that I'm passionate about. You have given me something to think about so thank you.
When looking at it from the perspective of using certain lenses such as Sigma 14mm 1.8 or even Rokinon 2.8 the square filter and its socket are indispensable for both CLP and ND. I have to confess that I need a CPL and there I have caught my fingers with the 14mm 1.8 because the expense is unfailingly double to cover all my lenses. I have to say also that sometimes I tend to choose as a priority some compositions with so much difference in latitude (Dynamic Range) in the shot that a graduated 4stops would not be bad either despite the almost 12 steps of latitude of my D850 (flat settings at 50iso)...
ahhh! those colors. It just triggers that primitive part of the brain that goes "Gooooold...I love goooold! It glitters and shines, it must be gold" It never gets boring to look at.
Beautiful sunrise shots!
Dude - you so totally convinced me to go out and buy a rad filter kit so I can take boss pics like you! Cheers, mate! Any other keen dope I should acquire? I mean if I can afford it after I buy a crate of fried pork skins… 😂😂😂. For real - great videos, both photography and funny.
Gorgeous sunrise shot! I know that location, and I’m willing to bet you had a fun time getting to it in the dim, early morning light. 😎
I can’t believe you actually made it on time for sunrise
You are kinda the reason I haven't bought the square filters. The other reason is that in a few locations I've seen 400+ euros of shattered filters on the ground. I 100% know my butterfingers would smash them really very quickly considering I drop my circular one pretty much every time I use them!
Hi Gavin, greetings from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. First thing, I've been watching your videos for more than a year now. I think I may have missed a couple but I'm always looking out each week for your next video. I'm subscribed and I've dinged that bell. I got back into landscape photography a number of years ago like a cat to water at the start, but things gradually got better, a lot of mistakes, but things got better. I retired last week because I'm knocking on a bit and I wanted more time out with the camera before things started to seize up. For filters, I honestly only use a CPL and it stays on the lens all the time. As the camera has a fixed lens, it seemed the sensible thing to do. I use it as a polarizer and an ND filter and it does the job fine. I'm struggling with limited dynamic range just now so that will be my priority for the New Year. I don't use ND filters or graduated ones so that extra dynamic range will make more contrasty scenes possible and less blown highlights and noisy darks. Look forward to your next video Gavin.
WOW, that first shot was gorgeous! The colors were so rich! I appreciated the filter discussion. I have always kept a UV/haze filter and a polarizer on my camera, but a neutral density filter once saved a key shot for me. I had planned for weeks to be at Reflections Lakes at Mt. Rainier during a vacation. It was literally THE shot I really wanted to get during this trip. When I got there, it was the first time in weeks the mountain had not been hidden by clouds, so I couldn't believe my luck. But the morning I was at the lakes, no matter what I did, the snow on the mountain was either overexposed or the reflection in the water was too dark. I was so frustrated. But some other folks there loaned me a neutral density filter. It was awkward to use, as it was square and I had to hold it in front of my lens, but it saved the shot. It's not perfect, and some of the snow is still too hot, but it was a helluva lot better than my other shots.
Exposure blending is the way to go for problems like this.
@@fototripper Which I bet I can learn to do if I can ever make time to sit down with "Photoshop for Morons."
@@srameypr Exactamundo!
You speak a lot of sense as always and the last minute of this video with you talking to your screen double was priceless. Appeals to my sense of humour, as a fellow Yorkshire man, now exiled in East Anglia.
I agree with what you say from a practical perspective, and it may some form of self-sadism on my part, but I actually enjoy using filters even though I know I can do it in Photoshop. I love the act of making the image out in the field as that is where I get to relax and be in the moment and be away from a screen. There is something nice about seeing what you create on the back of the screen, even though I will be sticking into Lightroom later on. Good luck with the Church roof, my own renovation project is costing so much I may as well of bought the entire Lee filter range, it would have been the same value for money :-)
I have to say that morning shot was terrific. Look like you are somewhere in the Bay of Fundy aren't you? You went portrait on that shot, I wonder why. Really great shot.
I use filters, I like them but I see your point. I have to shot with whatever light I get cause I don't always have the luxury to arrive to the field at the perfect time. So I do have to carry them all up to 10 stops. 100% totally agree with the quality level once you get to the pro level. There are countless reviews of all of them and every single one of them end up say, no bad, it is hard to see the difference between one brand and the other.
I went vertical because there was nothing happening in the right of the frame of my horizontal so the balance as off.
I actually bought a 10 stop ND filter for less than $30 a few years ago, and was so impressed, that I bought a second one just in case I damaged the first. Zero color cast and excellent sharpness. It had the hilarious brand name Cacagoo. I still use it years later.
Hey Gavin....
I use Nisi filters when I feel the need. Both graduated and solid slide in types as well as a couple of cpl's.
I recently picked up a cpl with a 6 stop nd built into it....I quite like it!
My reason for continuing to use filters is that I prefer the "exercise" of capturing the image much more than I tolerate the post processing!
I have a dislike of sitting at a desk when I can be out taking pictures.
We carry a computer with a lens on it so I try to keep improving my skills with it!
Thanks for entertaining as well as informative!!
Thank you for letting us know what filters you use and why. You got some awesome shots! The color is spectacular!!!
I like the graduated neutral density filter for bright sky and dark foreground, the Hoya R72 filter for IR, the orange and red filters for black and white scenics and the yellow-green filter for black and white portraits. This keeps me from a lot of post processing. I totally agree on using polarizing filters for landscapes and plant photography.
If you have two polarizing filters they can be turned 90 degrees to each other and make the equivalent of an ND 10.
Having blown hundreds of pounds on a 150mm square system with ND grads of all kinds and for which I had to buy a larger bag to accommodate, I realised it hardly ever got used so just sold it all on eBay. I now have a few polarisers (can’t be bothered with step rings) and a couple of circular ND filters which rarely get used but take up no space. I do sometimes wish I had kept the 150 square polariser as I would often not bother attaching it, just hold it in front of the lens. I also noticed the ND filters would vignette noticeably on very wide angle lenses as they were tinted glass so at the edges there was more thickness for the light to pass through, coated glass is much better for this.
I was enjoying some luscious chocolate while watching this and decided to give a thumbs-up. Problem is, I now have a ugly great thumbprint on my CPL. Would you do another video on how to clean chocolate-based thumbprints off filters, lenses, viewfinder, monitor, etc? Or gerrin touch .....
Don’t worry.. if you ever stop making videos… we’ll never forget about Amanda.. and it frees up time to rewatch Uncle Grumpy’s or Thomas H’s videos lol. Great vid.. agree with CPL & 10-stop for specific works.
Great topic. Totally agree about Grads. And once you get past that, there is no need for those awful filter holder systems. But I would argue there is a middle ground between a CPL and a 10 stop ND. IR filters can be fun, and I have convinced my missus to buy me a 1/4 Pro Mist for Xmas, for ethereal scenes and hopefully taming high contrast scenes. We will see (maybe I should have got her to buy Chasing Awe instead ;-) ). So filters are not going away with me, and I the workflow is so much easier using the magnetic systems. Hate carrying around hoods anyway and tend to deal with sun flare with my hands.
1 click in PS gives me a misty effect that I can't ever regret because it can always be undone ;)
Thanks for the straight forward info! Great advice! Those filter companies are very proud of their glass!
Lovely images Gav.
I have always enjoyed PL, and “recently” CPL, filters and often just leave the filter on during my day’s shooting. Of course the day has to be decently bright. Just remember, and unsure if this was mentioned, your direction relative to the Sun is critical in gaining the full polarizing effect. When not using a CPL is use a CL filter - unsure why but just an old habit! Thanks.
Very clear and useful discussion of filters. One of the best I have seen. Thanks of this, Gavin.
My favorite CPL is the sprockett color enhancer from Singh-Ray. 1 CPL filter covers all my lenses with different size step-ups rings. That and a 10 stop Lee ND. . Christmas came early for you, with that beautiful sunrise. Gotta love your description much of muchness :-)