SPECIALIST FILTERS

There’s a filter for every occasion, from enhancing sunsets to creating mist

- 

REVERSE ND GRAD

While neutral density filters, ND grads and polarisers are the filters most commonly used day-to-day by pros, there are a handful of more specialist filters that you’ll often find in their kit bags.

Reverse ND grads

These filters are similar to a standard ND grad, but the filter is at its darkest in the centre, graduating to clear at both the top and bottom. Reverse ND grads are mainly designed for getting a balanced exposure when the brightest point of your scene is at the horizon, making them ideal for seascape shots at sunrise and sunset.

STD ND GRAD

London’s Millennium Bridge at sunset shot using a LEE Filters reverse ND grad

Mist filters

This filter isn’t right for every occasion, but it can add bags of atmosphere to an image. My mist filter of choice is the LEE Mist Stripe. The filter has a light graduated mist strip running through the middle of the filter that replicates the appearance of a layer of mist that can be placed anywhere in frame. This effect is great for lakes or other bodies of water at first light.

Infrared filters