Exposure skills
Filters are an important tool for shooting seascapes, and choosing the right options is essential
Whenever you look at a seascape image and wonder, “How did they do that?” chances are the effect was the result of shutter speed control and the use of filters. Sure, you can shoot HDR or split raw to maintain sky detail rather than using ND grads, and the results look great if that’s the approach you decide to take. But if you want to extend exposure time to blur water, or to remove reflections from the surface of water, you have to use filters.
PRO KIT REVERSE ND GRAD FILTERS
Medium
Hard
Reverse
ND grads come in several graduation types. Hard grads, with a short transition from full to no effect, are commonly used for seascape photography, because they’re ideal for flat horizons. Reverse grads, which have a hard graduation moving up from the middle of the filter to full effect, with a soft graduation to a reduced effect at the top, are designed for shooting when the sun is close to the horizon.