Waterfalls & rivers: ND8/ND16/ND32/ND64
By shooting with a slow shutter speed, you can create those silky and smooth waves often seen in those dreamy-like shots of waterfalls and rivers. A 1/4 sec ~ 1 sec shutter speed usually works well in these scenarios. As for the right filter, if it's your first time using ND filters, an easy to use ND16 and a sufficiently effective slow shutter speed will do the trick.
Photo: 江藤博文 | ND+PL filter
People bustling in the city: ND1000/ND500
By shooting city scenarios with a slow shutter speed, you can properly reproduce that blurred motion of people walking back and forth through the streets. The lively and chaotic atmosphere of the city is thus effectively impressed in your shot. With a 30 sec and above shutter speed, the silhouette of passers-by can be almost completely faded, while people standing will appear sharp and still, for an amusing contrast.
A ND8 or ND16 filter and a 1/30~1/10 sec shutter speed will do great here for snaps capturing people with a slightly blurring effect.
Photo: 顾益民様 | ND filter
Sea and lakes: ND1000/ND500
By shooting seas or lakes with a slow shutter speed, you can effectively picture out a smooth image of water surfaces.
A water surface in a cloudless, sunny day can get excessively bright, though, so that even an ND1000 factor and a 1 sec shutter speed won't be enough. Here, let's set a 60 sec long exposure to minimize even the smallest wavelet, then let's try on a combination of ND1000+ND16 filters.
As the sun wanes and brightness changes, it may not be that easy to guess the right exposure.
Here, having more than one filter at hand, like a ND64, ND8 or a variable ND, can save the game.
Photo: Chung Kwong Leung | ND filter, f/18, 20 sec, ISO100
Clouds: ND1000/ND500
With a slow shutter speed, you can capture the dynamic movement of clouds drifting in the wind.
As both speed and direction of clouds will change quickly, by setting shutter speed at 60sec. you can capture an impressive image of a majestic flow of clouds.
Shouldn't a ND1000 be enough, try a combination of ND8+ND16 filters.
Photo: 佐々木 和一朗 | ND filter
Cityscape light trails: ND4/ND8
The light cast at night by cars, boats, airplanes, a panoramic wheel, etc. can be captured in the form of light trails by slowing down the shutter speed.
Adding the proper ND filter will further slow the shutter speed down, making these light tails looking longer, without interruptions from corner to corner.
Here, thanks to an already slow shutter speed, the most suitable ND filter will be one with a low ND factor, like ND4 or ND8.
Photo: Derek John Draper | ND filter, f/6.3, 108 sec, ISO100
Fireworks: ND4/ND8
Fireworks are a very bright shooting subject, so that overexposure can occur even at low ISO sensitivity settings. Without using ND filters, the necessary f-number will be excessively high, resulting in poor image quality due to light diffraction. By using ND filters, on the other hand, you can capture those colorful and bright fireworks in correctly exposed images.
With cameras standard ISO100 or ISO200 sensitivity settings, we recommend ND4 and ND8 respectively.
Photo: 藤正司 | ND8 filter, f/14, 13 sec, ISO100
Panning shots: ND4/ND8/ND16
Panning is a photographic method used to capture moving objects. By moving the camera at the same pace of the shooting object, the background appears blurred in the final image. It's a great technique visually to capture and express high speed. Using ND filters is fundamental here, as you will need to set your shutter speed at an extremely low value to make this shooting technique effective.
Photo: Tarumi Kazuo | ND filter, f/10, 1/6 sec, ISO50
Floral rafts: ND1000/ND500
ND filters with a high density, like ND1000, are particularly suitable to capture the path of petals flowing slowly, or the lines and spirals traced by leaves on a water surface.
In shadowed scenarios, a ND64 it's a good one already. With a test shot, check how far it flows and in how many seconds, then set the proper shutter speed. Moreover, with the proper shutter speed and ND filter, you can also capture and express the movement of tree leaves and branches swinging in the wind.
Photo: 松田慎司 | ND1000+PL filter, f/8, 95.8 sec, ISO100
