Aye, I dont enter many competitions , but the ones I do enter mostly forbid any serious editing.
So when shooting do I compromise the image overall by using grads when they arnt the best most applicable technique or do I shoot the image as I want and not enter..
LizzieShepherd wrote:
Good point, Rob. I didn't enter TPOTY this year as the images that were suitable were all blends. I did email them pointing out that older cameras with more limited DR were at a disadvantage and that was there really such a difference between using grads and blends, but never heard back.... They don't allow blends, nor do they allow stitched panos - cant work that one out at all....
This will sort itself out eventually. Such policies are the equivalent of having a contest among photographic prints a few decades ago and not allowing dodging and burning or paper of various contrast levels.
Those who hold to such anachronistic notions will eventually be left behind, since no real photographer will care.
Thanks very much for the detailed replies. To be honest, I am not very good at blending (yet) - primarily because I don't do it very often. I find filters very easy to use and I guess I like to limit my time spent in PP if at all possible. I will probably continue to use filters and also try and practice my blending to get better. Once again - thanks for all the replies!
A GND filter is particularly helpful when you have fast-moving weather/rapidly changing light and want close correspondence between the different areas of your scene, especially if you're doing a long exposure. For example, if you have clouds reflected in a lake or that are making bold shadows on the ground, the difference in cloud placement between two exposures (especially long ones) can be significant. Filters are also helpful for more complicated shots that require blending for other reasons (focus bracketing, panos, etc.). I therefore alternate between solutions (blending sometimes and other times resorting to a filter), depending on the situation. For more straightforward shots, I do prefer blending to using a filter because of the great flexibility and freedom that blending allows. This is a recent development for me, something I've been gravitating towards over the last year. I just grew weary of dealing with the filter holder and vignetting and whatnot, but I will deal with it if the situation requires it.
ND filters are always easier than bracketing. But pros just like to bracket their exposures than go through the hassle of carrying these. I still have to use filters as my bracketed pictures aren't that great
I dumped all of my filters two years ago. I bracket and merge and expose for the highlights. A lot of ways to do it. It's also made my processing much cleaner and more effective. I have not looked back.
