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Steven Noyes | all galleries >> Galleries >> Images Fall 2003 > Rockford : Week 4
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Summer 2003 Steven Noyes

Rockford : Week 4

Rockford Il

While working in Rockford Il., I had the chance to go capture some amazing clouds and flowers in the countryside. This image is a composite of two setup to imitate a Graduated Neutral Density Filter.


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Steven Noyes06-Aug-2004 14:14
The master of the Graduated Neutral Density (or GND) filter was Gallen Rowell and most are understudies of his work:-) The idea is that the sky is typically MUCH brighter than the foreground and this becomes very true at times like sunset. Digital, being like shooting chrome slide film, does not respond to light like the eye does. The eye can see a brightness of somewhere between 10,000 : 1 and 1,000,000 : 1. Digital and slide film, however, are at best 2,000 : 1 and 300 : 1 is more typical. This is why when you take a beautiful picture of a sunset, all you get is a silhouette OR a bretty foreground with a white sky. There is simply too much light in the sky and not in the foreground.

The point of the GND is to help balance out the scene by providing different exposures to the top half VS the bottom half of the image. By making a filter that is clear on the bottom and dark on the top, it is possible to take longer exposures to exposure the foreground while not making the sky white. With digital, you take two exposures and blend them in your favorite editing program:

http://www.pbase.com/image/19076620 blended with
http://www.pbase.com/image/19076630 results in
http://www.pbase.com/image/19077266

Steven
Brian_Smith 06-Aug-2004 07:04
Nice picture!

Can you explain the need for the Graduated Neutral Density filter? What does it do? And how does the image look without it?

Can you explain the composite use of two setups? What were the settings on the two pictures?

I read a few of your lens reviews. Thank you very much, as it will greatly help me in my new purchases! (For my Canon Digital Rebel)