ometimes 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.

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.

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.

Video on using welding glass as a neutral  density filter

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.