The art of using ND Grad's

[Daniel Porto]

I have seen many DP's (one being Nigel Bluck - I wish I asked him at the time!) use 2 or 3 ND Grads in the one shot - with a mix of both soft and hard grads and the grad lines resting in different positions.

Can someone please explain why some DOP's shoot like this? Obviously it is to control the brightness of certain parts of the image but is the thinking to make certain parts of an image stand out ever so slightly?
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[Paul Nordin]

Thats a very difficult question to answer simply. Its kind of like asking why do artists use paint brushes.

Grads are used to control exposure in sections of the frame. Yes, one reason for stacking grads could be to add depth to an image by reducing exposure in the areas of the frame you don't want to emphasize. But there are endless reasons for creative and techical use of grads.

 

[paulherrin]

in short... yes. sometimes.

it could be a primarily creative decision to control the image, or primarily a technical decision to control the exposure of the image... or somewhere in between.

in steps david mullen for an expert opinion on using grad ND's...

 

[Ketch Rossi]

I have and will continue to use a mix of Soft and Hard Graduate ND filters, especially when both bottom and top of the frame need an ND, but in different strength,
some of this example will come soon with Summer shots of Models in the water, were I would filter both the bottom half of the water and the top half of the sky differently,
the soft in the middle of both to get the Model just right.

But I have used an ND9 plus a Soft graduate on bottom and a Hard graduate on top, and viceversa, really a great creative way to achieve some very interesting images.

Done it tone of times in Still capture, and now will continue to do it with Epic, Frame grabs of this example will be shown on our site, by Summer.

 

[Rob Ruffo]

The problem is when your camera moves. I almost never shoot on a tripod, so soft grads rarely work. When I do shoot on a tripod they are awesome. With HDRX, however, the effect is extremely easy to replicate (and properly track) in post.

 

[George A.]

The problem is when your camera moves. I almost never shoot on a tripod, so soft grads rarely work.

A ND 0.3 SOFT GRAD almost never shows up, while still woking as a very subtle effect.
I have heard of a great DP having a soft grad ND0.3 on the lens at all times - even when hand-held, quick pans etc

Try it yourself and you'll see that you won't be able to sense this filter, even if you go hand-held. I tried it and it works. I don't keep it on the lens at all times, but when I am slightly worried, I keep it there, no matter if I am off the tripod.

Of course, more than ND 0.3 and it will start to show up if you're not locked on legs.

Best,
George

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Sometimes I use an ND.60 Attentuator, which is so gradual that it's hard to see in small pans, etc.

I carry an ND.60 Soft Edge and ND.60 Attentuator on every show -- generally I think an ND.30 is too light to be worth the trouble and an ND.90 is heavy enough to be too obvious. But nowadays with digital color-correction, I mainly use the ND grads to bring down something that is too hot in the frame for the film stock or sensor, to get it to a place where it will make color-correcting easier. Otherwise it's easier to save it for post where I can track the movement, shape it to an object, etc.

Soderbergh's "Solaris" was an interesting example of using ND grads for a creative effect.