Proper Filters

[Imagie3]

I have the 6.5 MP Digital Rebel SLR camera and I am going to be doing a lot of photography of cloud formations this upcomming spring for the Joliet IL Weather Center while we are storm chasing. I was wondering what you all think the best type of filter to use would be. I know it has to be a circular filter but I have been told to use a polarized by a couple people and then also a UV by some other people. What do you all think? Also, what lengths (mm) do you think would be best for shooting clouds about 1/2 - 2 miles away? Thanks in advance for all your help.

Brian

[SkipD]

Brian, a polarizing filter is useful in darkening the blue sky behind clouds to provide a greater contrast. Cameras with autofocus typically require the use of a circular polarizer rather than a linear one (this has nothing to do with the round shape of the filter). If you use a linear polarizer on a camera with autofocus, the autofocus may not function properly.

As for a UV filter - most folks who recommend them are considering their use as "protection" for the lens. I don't believe in using a filter for protection unless there is sand blowing or something like that. However, I suspect a UV filter might be useful in cutting some haze effect.

I bought a polarizing filter that is also a UV filter. It will be used to enhance photos of the sky and to control reflections on water, glass, etc.

[Tdragone]

I don't know how much help this will be if you will be storm chasing.. One thing I do is slap on a neutral density filter (or polarizer) as they both act similarly in most circumstances (ND is usually darker; Polarizer brings out blues of sky) and make sure I have a small aperature and use a slower shutter speed. I find doing this I get a lot better picture to work with in photoshop ad I can bring out a LOT of detail in the clouds. Out here; clouds usually move slowly if it's nice enough to bring my camera out. This will NOT work on huge clouds speeding by @ 15 knots or more....

-Tom D.

[kfong]

I know it has to be a circular filter but I have been told to use a polarized by a couple people and then also a UV by some other people. What do you all think? Also, what lengths (mm) do you think would be best for shooting clouds about 1/2 - 2 miles away? Thanks in advance for all your help.

Brian

I use TIFFEN Haze 2 to give me as much constrast within the clouds as possible. Polarizer can be used to give the sky a deeper blue, but is most effective when the angle of view is right angle to the sun, and has no effect when the sun is directly in front of or behind you.
As for focal length to use, that depends on the types of clouds. I use 70mm for cumulus with a DSLR, 28mm for towering cumulus, and as I'm not a storm chaser, it'll time to beat a retreat when a cumulonimbus wouldn't fit insider the viewfinder :-)

Ken

[Jon]

Unless you need the photos to be colour, I'd suggest using a yellow (K2 or, better, Wratten 12) or a red (Wratten 25). Then post-process to B&W. These will help the clouds really stand out against the (blue) sky.

[Bodryn]

I used to do storm chasing but with a camcorder setup. What a rush! Wonderful thrilling stuff. My experience is that you need all the light you can get (gets pretty dark sometimes in storms especially around sunset). I agree with Jon's idea about using a yellow or red filter if possible. (But a red filter can cut your light input to 1/8 of what it was) Not only would you get better cloud contrast but I have found that you can indeed cut through more haze/water vapor/moisture et cetera to get clearer pictures because sometimes those tornadoes are very difficult to see through all that weather. You may also find that tornadoes can be sometimes photographed even after dark, illuminated by lightning! Anyway I picked up a distant tornado on my camcorder which could be seen in flashes - the next day on the news I learned that it had hit near a town 40 miles away. Pick your viewing spots in advance for something like that. You should plan all your storm chasing routes ahead of time because otherwise you'll constantly find yourself behind groves of trees wondering where you can drive to where you can get a clear picture of the tornado. In most cases there should be no need to travel on DANGEROUS gravel roads which will probably be muddy and miserable experiences at the time. Another thing is that your best bet for good pictures is to follow along about 2 to 5 miles to the right of the storm cell and perhaps a bit behind, just out of the rain. (Tornadoes often form at the right rear part of the cell.) This gives you the least weather to shoot through, and the best chance of a good shot through your car window without getting rain on your precious equipment, even if you're alone in your car. Worked for me, anyway. There is a storm chasing website where I garnered a LOT of good tips on the subject. There is no need to endanger your life like they did in those movies. (But then if you've done this before, no doubt you knew most of this and more.... ) Happy chasing! :)

[Todd Jacobsen]

Would he actually need a filter on the camera or post processing in PS?

Filters on camera will impact the data being collected vs filtering out data in Photoshop using sw filters.