Which color filter to try?

[jeffreythree]

Maybe my search-fu is broken, but I have been trying to figure out what filter for B&W to darken the sky while not brightening dead, straw colored grass. I have not used filters much, but would like to in our dead, lifeless sky summers(light blue, almost grey, sky). Problem was the yellow filters I used last year also brightened the crispy late summer foliage a lot as well. Orange, green, red? What will be best for darkening the sky in landscapes at least a bit and not lighten straw colored grass much?

 

[John Koehrer]

Perhaps a graduated filter. ND's are around but I'm not sure of colors.
Rule of thumb is a filter lightens is own color and darkens it's complement.

 

[Sirius Glass]

In order: yellow, orange, red

 

[Jim Jones]

A polarizing filter works fairly well to darken the sky at right angles to the sun. It can give uneven darkening at other angles and with wide angle lenses. The bluer the sky, the more pronounced this effect. It has much less effect on grey skies.

 

[Tis Himself]

As John said above, the rule of thumb is that a filter lightens its own color and darkens its complimentary color. If you look at a color wheel, the complimentary color is on the opposite side of the wheel of the color you want to modify To darken blue sky, a red filter is typically used. The darker the red filter, the darker the sky. This can produce dramatic skies when white clouds are present. Unless you're using through-the-lens metering, don't forget to adjust the exposure for the filter factor.

 

[jeffreythree]

A polarizing filter works fairly well to darken the sky at right angles to the sun. It can give uneven darkening at other angles and with wide angle lenses. The bluer the sky, the more pronounced this effect. It has much less effect on grey skies.

I completely forgot about a polarizing filter, and there are a couple in my grandfather's old kit.

 

[jeffreyg]

There are graduated color filters available and you can actually make your own by buying the clear sheet type filters and Rit dyes. Check Lee filters and Tiffen filters.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[David Allen]

I would suggest using a Wratten #12 Minus Blue filter.

This looks like any other yellow filter but it is specifically designed to affect the wavelengths particular to blue.

When I used to do landscape photography, I used the Minus Blue for most of my exposures.

If you look at Ansel Adams' books where he explains how he made particular images, you will find that many of these images were also made with the Minus Blue filter.

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de