ND Grad versus Bracketing

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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Imagine the setup.

Bright sunset, at the sea. Sun about to go down behind the horizen, that lovely golden light, and single exposure, without any filter, results in a blazing hot sky and mega dark foreground....Camera is set up on a sturdy tripod, with a shutter release cable.

Now, the options?

ND grad:
This will allow me to get the sky calmed down a little, which should allow the foreground to be brought into play? Obviously the strength of the ND grad is important, so this can be quite a complicated choice for those who don't understand how best to use one (me! :help:)...

Bracketing
We have the tripod, and shutter release, so there should be no movement from the camera. I take say 5 exposures using bracketing, and once home, I PP the best exposures together.

Which is the best technique? What are the pro's and cons of either? The reason I ask, my 14 to 24 is not compatible with ANY filters, and I will have to DIY an ND grad if I want to use one. Trying to work out, for THIS TYPE OF SHOT, if its worth it. Appreciate for slowing the shutter speed, bracketing will not work.

Gary.
 
The bracketing gives you more room to play, and effectively adds as a variable ND grad once you get the shots into Photomatix or similar. If you want to you can then go for the overcooked, super arty HDR style shots, or just balance it all up nicely and get an evenly exposed image.
 
I am a filter man and prefer using the ND grads with the camera then taking multiple shots and processing it at home. Even though it can be an arse sometimes to sort out the filters, I work better with it than I do with PP. So I guess if you can get the same shot pretty much with 2 different techniques (if it is the same) then surely it is down to what the photographer prefers to do.

As for the ND grads, they are easy to use. If you have different strengths grads then all you need to do is experiment with them in different light to understand which ones to use when. I just learned from trial and error, and still am.
 
If the horizon is straight, an ND grad will do you very well, though you'll need a selection of hard & soft ones with different opacity.

Bracketing goes give you much more flexibility especially if the horizon isn't level, or if there are other objects you want to bring out more e.g. cliff faces, rocks etc which are below the horizon. But it means fiddling about afterwards on a computer to blend the frames.

I use both personally - just decide which depending on the above.
 
Coming from film I'm an ND grad kind of gal. I don't know enough about the quality of multiple combined images but if I can get it right in camera on the 1Ds I get a 50mb uncompressed TIFF.

Can anyone tell me if that is possible without interpolation with combining images? :help: me too!
 
I'm a filter fan but that is because I haven't got my head around digital processing fully. You are obviously an experienced Photoshop user so I'd suggest you go that way.
 
ND grads and bracketing, I always use grads (when needed), and still bracket the shots, as it's not easy getting the exposure correct even with grads, and as it costs nothing to shoot a few more frames, I don't find any good reason not to.

I then choose the frame with the best exposure balance and process that.

Don't particularly like trying to combine a number of exposures, it's a tad too fiddly, and too much like hard work, and don't look as finished , or as good (IMO) as the more traditional methods of getting the exposure right in camera.
 
Can't stand filters at the best of times, and ND grads in particular

However, a completely level horizon (ok smart-asses, with Earth's curvature only! :lol:) is the ONLY time I'd advocate the use of ND Grads, & bracketing too

If you haven't one to fit though, no point arsing about - just bracket like Hell and blending in PS rather than a HDR prog should do a good job

It's funny though, everyone will know it's a heavily PP'd shot as everyone knows you can't capture it properly in one shot! Can't win sometimes

DD
 
Les McLean said:
Don't particularly like trying to combine a number of exposures, it's a tad too fiddly, and too much like hard work, and don't look as finished , or as good (IMO) as the more traditional methods of getting the exposure right in camera.
Click to expand...

This is how I feel, but my photoshop skills are not the best:nono:
 
DiddyDave said:
Can't stand filters at the best of times, and ND grads in particular

just bracket like Hell and blending in PS rather than a HDR prog should do a good job

DD
Click to expand...

Does all that PP work not degrade the image though DD?
 
EdinburghGary said:
The reason I ask, my 14 to 24 is not compatible with ANY filters, Gary.
Click to expand...

I have the same issue, my sigma 12-24mm won't take filters, so I tend to use it for shots that are in balance, particularly low light photography, where there is more exposure lattitude and not a few stops difference between the ground and sky.
 
AliB said:
Does all that PP work not degrade the image though DD?
Click to expand...


Not as I would do it!

I'd process one Sun shot, and one Sea shot; stack them in Layers and erase one into the other (there are loads of ways of doing this), so they are both as original as poss and hence top quality

HDR software would pick detail from each and blend into another image, but always seems to introduce more noise in doing so

DD
 
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