Sometimes I really hate getting up early to take a landscape photo that involves something like water. And sometimes I really hate having to trudge out at the end of the day to capture an image after eating a big meal, I would rather just go to sleep. You know what helps avoid some of this early morning, late evening stuff? A neutral density (ND) filter. But, not just any neutral density filter, a 10 stop ND filter.

(scroll to the bottom to see the video)

Now, the first thing you might ask – why do I even need a ND filter to take pictures of waterfalls, oceans and other types of moving water? Well, it depends on what kind of image you are trying to capture. If its the silky smooth surface like the image below, then you want to use an ND filter. What it does is allow you to hold the shutter open longer, and smooth out the motion of water.

waterfall by Andrew McLucas

And here’s the rub. You need less light to do this. So, either you trudge out early in the morning, or you wait until the end of the day. Now, I use a ND4 a lot of the time. Which means I don’t need to get up or go out quite as early/late as I would without it. But, sometimes I want to do it oh, lets say 10 in the morning or, four in the afternoon. This is where a ND10 really helps out. Because now, I can.

Trying welding glass by That’s Johh Doe, honey!’s

Ok, lets say you’re like me. And that means you’re real cheap. Or, you just like to experiment with new ideas. This is where the welding glass, electrical tape, velcro, and p-holder come in. At this point, you’re entering the tutorial zone.

Something else I failed to mention – I’m lazy. Well, ok I prefer to use video when its so much easier for you to see what I’m trying to say. So, I’ll just briefly go over what you need for this project. And you can watch the video to really get what I’m typing about.

Things you will need to make you’re own super-cheap ND 10 filter.

• Electrical tape (or some type of opaque tape)
• Welding hood glass
• A cheap p-holder, you can usually find these on eBay
• Velcro tape

Take the screw-in portion of the adapter and Velcro it to the glass. Then take the tape and seal off all the edges so no light can get in. Then, seal all the edges of the glass. The reason is to help cut down refractions in the glass, because it is un-coated.

Another tip, don’t point in a direction that lets light directly into the glass, it causes refractions for me. Finally, white-balance for the glass. Otherwise you will get either a green or purple image.

Here’s the video for how I did this.

Here is another forum that has a whole bunch of folks talking about this idea. And another Talk Photography.

More photography tutorials:

Do you ever wonder how some photographers get that nice even light in some of their images? Well, one way that do that is by using something called a “light tent.” There are many varieties and styles of these things that you can purchase online or at a photography store. But, I’m going to give you a short description of how to make one yourself.

Here are the things you will need to build your own light tent

• A cardboard box of decent size
• White duct tape
• A white sheet
• Utility knife
• Scissors
• White poster board

1.Tape up your cardboard box just like you were getting ready to ship off your cat.

Image by: britain

2. Take your knife and cut a square in each side of the box. Leaving a each edge to support the frame, sort of like a skeleton of the box.

3. Use your scissors and cut a square of the sheet you stole off your moms bed. Make them slightly over-sized so you have an edge to tape with around the portholes you created in each side of the box.

4. Use the white duct tape and attach the fabric. Wait! Don’t put it on one side, you need a place to stick your camera and junk into the box.

5. Now to the inside of the box. Take more white tape and seal and areas of the box so that its nice and sturdy.

6. This part is where you take the poster board and create a back wall in the box. Cut it large enough to create a gentle curve, no visible lines. Tape it in with more white tape so that its secure.

At this point your tent is ready. I usually look around inside and cover any exposed areas with more white tape so that everything is nice and even.

I use two or three light sources depending on the type of light I’m trying to get. Normally the bulbs are just standard 60 watt household bulbs. Tip, set your white balance to tungsten or your images will come out sorta funky.

Video example of my home made light tent

More tutorials:

What a beautiful day. It feels like spring in mid-February.

I’ve decided to take to the back deck, where my also beautiful wife is reading the newspaper, and take some pictures. Hopefully my invasion with photography gear won’t bother her too much.

Check out my on-demand print gallery >

What I’m shooting today are some little silk flowers and colorful tin cans that I grabbed in the dollar bin. You know, you can find lots of neat little things to photograph in dollar bins, I love digging through them for neat stuff. So, here is what I’ve got on the back deck:

• Tripod
• 4 pieces of foam core in white, black and blue
• My camera (of course)
• Silk flowers in tin pots
• Nice bright sun

I’ve got a short video at the bottom of this post that can give you a better idea as well if you want to scroll down.

I would suggest if you’re outside and in direct sun to use a light disc or possibly light tent to diffuse the harsh direct sunlight. If, like in this situation, you don’t have any of these handy or they won’t work for in this instance then find a shady spot. You can then direct natural light onto your subject with white reflectors. This diffuses the light to give a more balanced effect.

Watch the video for more info.

Some more photos from this setup.