Large Format Photography Australia

Aaah, yes. Well do I enjoy the use of coloured contrast filters. But sometimes one must decide — With? or Without?



OR



Cheers,

Ok, I'll bite. Curiosity without resolution is a tease. Which filter on which picture? And why?

Ok, I'll bite. Curiosity without resolution is a tease. Which filter on which picture? And why?

The upper shot is FP4+ with no filter.

The second shot is FP4+ with a red filter.

I was concerned at the time of exposure of the risk of tonal merges of the masonry and the sky.

So I grabbed the red filter. Any fear of tonal merges disappeared in a flash.

BUT ...... My aim is not to make 'pretty pictures' but to be more documentary — something which the 'no filter' shot accomplishes. The red filter is a bit too 'photographic' for my taste. However, people top whom I have shown printed of this have all opted for the red filter version. (Somewhat to my documentarian chagrin!)

Cheers, and thanks for asking.

PS: Maybe I'll reach for the reliable old Yellow/Green or Yellow next time.

I think I prefer the one without the filter. I am a massive fan of red 25 and red 29 filters but it's so hard to pick the right time to use them. The image without the filter looks much cleaner, without the gradient in the sky, and the differing contrast between the two images on the trees and the pillars is almost imperceivable.

My 2 cents. Lovely image, either way.

Thanks very much for your comments, Alex,

I am sure I fully concur with your thoughts.

I'we noticed you lost some contrast in the vegetation with the red, and the sky gradient is a bit too much. I prefer the shot without filter, and if anuyhing perhaps a 1 or 2 filter coming from bottom. The shadow right at bottom is a bit of a bummer for me...

Interesting image