Neutral Density & Color Graduated Filters

Neutral Density Graduated Filters

Quite often the correct exposure for a background in a scene is not the best one for the foreground or viceversa. The most common problem is that the bright sky is reproduced perfectly while the landscape is underexposed; in fact pitch black most of the times.

These are the occasions where the color and neutral density (ND) graduated (grad) filters can make the difference between a bad image, a good image and a better one.

As per these sunset examples, the problem can be solved by placing a "grad" filter, neutral density or colored, in front of the lens. 

The brightness of the sky is then reduced without affecting the correct exposure of the landscape.