Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve O
My biggest issue with the orange and red filters is the way they kill the shadows - yes, it can be compensated for with exposure and development but I find it easier to live with the effect a yellow filter gives and add anything else at the printing stage.
Steve
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Absolutely right! The shadows are already 5 or 6 stops below those beautiful white sunny-day clouds. Well exposed, well processed film can just handle that range but it is hurting for latitude and there is no margin for error.
Adding an orange or red filter drops the shadows another stop and a workable negative becomes a compromise or an exercise in Zone System N-1 development. Zone System is nice on sheet film but a nuisance to adapt to roll films.
My "secret" is to use a
grad red filter on the sky so the clouds "pop" but terrestrial shadow detail remains unfiltered. To avoid a telltale filter line across the picture I keep the grad red above the horizon. This leaves the sky pale just above the horizon; the way it looks in reality. It's all a bit of a fudge; but a visually plausible one.