Going to Almeria in October

I took this photo in Almeria last year, it was without using any filters or even a tripod

But I want to be more "arty" when I go back, what is the best filter to use for in the same situation if it was the same weather condition considering I want to make the sky a little less over exposed than it is in this photo I took

Heya,

Basically a filter that covers the sky by 3 to 6 stops depending on time of day, weather conditions and presence of the sun itself in the frame.

So, a graduated neutral density filter, with either a soft edge or hard edge, depending on your preference.

Or, you take two exposures, one for the foreground, one for the sky, and tone map to blend the two.

Or you simply learn to use Lightroom or something else, to mimic the graduated ND effect, by using the dynamic range of your sensor to stop down the sky digitally later in post from RAW.

Do you already have any filters, or is this a cause to get into them?

Are you familiar with tone mapping (more commonly referred to as HDR in common forms of use)?

Very best,

The only filter I have is the Circular Polarizer filter

Is graduated ND filters like this?
http://en.wikipedia.or​g …ed_neutral_dens​ity_filter

I know what you mean by the use of lightroom, but I want something more on the lines of creating more dramatic feel rather than one that feels like a handheld shot like in the one I've shown here

RichSoansPhotos wrote in post #17519991
The only filter I have is the Circular Polarizer filter

Is graduated ND filters like this?
http://en.wikipedia.or​g …ed_neutral_dens​ity_filter

I know what you mean by the use of lightroom, but I want something more on the lines of creating more dramatic feel rather than one that feels like a handheld shot like in the one I've shown here

Heya,

Correct, that's the filter I'm talking about.

If you want a more dramatic feel, you don't need a filter really, you need to plan the time of day differently. In your above shot, you were not at the early morning or late evening where the sun is dim, very warm and not predominant where you had to use long exposure to get an exposure. There, you were shooting some where in the morning/afternoon/even​ing when it was still very bright outside, even if overcast. Simply change WHEN you shoot this kind of shot.

I would want to try this shot early, right as the sun is about to rise, right before it rises, so before sunrise. Right before. Using long exposure. No filters needed at all there.

Or, I would go late evening, sunset, right after the sun drops below the horizon, for the same kind of effect. Very warm skies during this.

If you want to do this during the day, for whatever reason, filters and tone mapping are how you do it. If you want it dramatic, you need a sky with color and less of a drab look where it looks washed out and cold. Warm up the temperature of the photo, get the sky exposed, and it will pop.

You will get more dramatic results just from time of day, using the early morning and late evening sun light. I use graduated ND filters when the sun is in the shot. Otherwise, it's not needed and I might just tone map to grab a few exposures to blend. So here's what I get:

Early morning (sun involved; ND grad used):

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/op2m​Rd

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pE8H​Ma

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pEcA​V4

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/p9Cv​HA

Do you use this site for "golden hour" photography?
http://jekophoto.eu …our-golden-hour/index.php

If so, is it accurate?

I think Malveaux covered most of it. You can use one of those big stopper things to have a longer exposure that will smooth out the ocean, plus it will blur clouds a bit if you want to find a different effect. Time of day is really a biggie, that can help more than any other single thing you can do.

For sunset and sunrise information, this place is great -

http://photoephemeris.​com/tpe-for-desktop

RichSoansPhotos wrote in post #17520036
Do you use this site for "golden hour" photography?
http://jekophoto.eu …our-golden-hour/index.php

If so, is it accurate?

Heya,

I don't use any websites or anything. I just go before sunrise and stay still after sunset. Pretty easy to gauge as it's dark before, and gets dark after.

That said, any website you use, should be accurate enough to get you there 20 minutes BEFORE you plan on trying to capture light. The window of capture is very small. If you want to capture just before the sun peaks above the horizon in sunrise, you need to be there early, and ready, for when the moment is right. You'll have only a few minutes before the sun rays peak and then you are dealing with a whole new scene with way more light and that's where filters become pretty necessary, or several exposures for tone mapping. Literally a handful of minutes. Same with sunset, you will only have a moment as the sun hits the horizon, then it's gone, and that's one of the best times, you'll have a few more minutes to work with the warm light before it gets really dark.

Very best,

Shame, I needed a stronger ND filters than the one I've got......never mind

RichSoansPhotos wrote in post #17519991
The only filter I have is the Circular Polarizer filter

Did you use the Circular Polarizer in your sample image? It doesn't look like it to me, or you failed to rotate it to the best position.

John from PA wrote in post #17728037
Did you use the Circular Polarizer in your sample image? It doesn't look like it to me, or you failed to rotate it to the best position.

I didn't use any filters first time around

I went back to Almeria with every intention of using ND and circular polarizer (and I did), but I used ND for sunrise, really didn't do that well considering being that it is in a really hotter climate than I'm used to

I guess I would have to use a 10 stop ND filter to get any dramatic effect on my photos

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1426014