George Lepp • Tech Tips

I’ve heard conflicting recommendations on where to set the white balance on my digital camera. Some sources advise the use of automatic white balance; others say to use a different white-balance setting for each specific light source. What do you think?

 

I’ve always enjoyed dramatic landscapes featuring a big sun. What kind of lens should I use to achieve this effect?

 

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I’ve noticed a lot of different types of neutral-density filters. Could you describe them and talk about how to use the various kinds?

I have a Tamron 28-300 lens that I’ve been using with great success on my film camera. When I use it on my newer digital camera, there’s a softness to the images. Is the lens not good for my digital camera? Is there another lens as versatile as the 28-300mm that would give me tack-sharp images?

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Digital cameras have a linear response to light. Adobe, in its tutorials on Camera Raw, suggests “exposing to the right” in order to maximize the midtones and shadow information recorded by the camera. What's the best practice you suggest, and how does one go about determining the right “exposure” when using Raw capture?

I'm fascinated by strong silhouettes with the sun in the background when it's partially or totally obscured by foreground objects, such as trees. For example, in your picture of the Baobab tree from Africa at sunset, the tree is dark, yet detail is maintained in the tips of the branches, and there's beautiful color in the sunset. What's the secret to maintaining detail, while at the same time obtaining a proper exposure and rich colors? So far I've simply been bracketing like crazy and hoping for the best.

You mentioned the Singh-Ray variable neutral-density filter (Vari-ND) in a previous OP column. If I have my information correct, it appears to be made only in a 77mm mount. I don't know if I can find an adapter to mount it on my lenses with smaller filter sizes, but if I can, will it work properly with such an adapter?

From technique to equipment to preparation, these field-tested ideas will help you make better landscape photos