Reflections On A Sunset
I’ve spent the last few weeks looking around the internet for a set of ND filters that suited my needs but didn’t put too large of a hole in my wallet. I would have loved to been able to pick up a Singh Ray Vari-ND or the Lee Big Stopper but they’re a little out of my reach at the moment. So doing what we all must do I compromised and went with a Cokin P setup. From what I can find, Cokin is either re-organizing or going out of business. A lot of their products are out of stock or unavailable from the larger retailers but eBay is swimming in third party “replacements”. I did a little research on the quality of some these replacements and found that most everyone seemed pretty happy with them. I was able to pick up a mount, lens ring and 3 ND filters for under $40; all things considered, not too bad. But would they work or would they be garbage?
Wednesday evening I finally got some time to test them out and I have to say that they are way beyond what I was expecting. The filters are not glass, which made them less expensive but also harder to break and cheaper to replace. I’ve come to expect noticeable grain from the circular filters I had been using but I could find no evidence of it in the images that I brought back. The shading in the filters seems to be even and free of blemishes and the only spot removal I did was for a few hot spots from long exposure.
My test location was somewhere I knew there would be fog – South Holston Dam. The air temperature, still hot from the daylight hours, colliding with the 50 degree water leaves a thick layer of fog over the river every evening throughout the summer. The sunset last night had a nice orange tint that reflected into the few feathered clouds that painted the sky. It was a perfect setting to try out my new toys! This image was taken using the ND4 filter; the set also included an ND2 and ND3.
I’m hoping to hit some waterfalls over the weekend and start putting them to some real use!
Camera settings: Canon 60D
Processing: Adobe Lightroom 3
wow that is fabulous! great shot Curt!
This is fantastic!! Beautiful and peaceful… Love the fog. Great job.
Curt, this shot is a killer shot. Wow.
What a soothing and peaceful image! Toni suggested black and white and I will second that. Your filters did a wonderful job getting the right look and feel.
Curt, this is Lovely….any chance on a B&W?
Wow that fog really sets the tone. Great job Curt.
Wow, I love this! Very moody looking image, almost surreal. Fabulous composition!
I like the mist Curt
I saw some of those Conkin filters for a good deal also… Maybe I should jump on that. Are they the 4×4 drop ins? I have a B+W 10 stop, but haven’t had a lot of success with it yet… Onto the shot – Great Deep Purple tones and love the smoke on the water (and fire in the sky…)!
Ok, I’ll stop now…
Love the reflection and the colours. Have fun experimenting with those filters!
Oh this is magical man, love the peaceful feel to it
This image has it all Curt. Great mood with the fog, great colors and reflections.
Great deal on the filters, Len.
This image looks wonderful. I like the purple-ish tones and that mystical look of the fog on the water. Nice one, bud.
For me this photo evokes an eerie feeling. Makes me think of the summer camp in “Friday the 13th”.