Landscape photography thrives on impressive lighting moods and balanced exposures - both of which can be perfectly emphasised with the help of graduated filters, also known as GND filters (Graduated Neutral Density Filters). These graduated filters help to even out large differences in brightness in the image, such as those that occur in sunsets or landscapes with a strong contrast between light and dark.

Here are my top 5 tips for using graduated filters:

1. Know the difference between the different types of graduated filters

There are different types of GND filters that are used depending on the subject and lighting conditions:

• Soft GND filter: The gradient is soft and is ideal for scenes with uneven horizon lines, such as mountains or forests.

• Hard GND filter: With a clear, hard transition, perfect for scenes with a flat horizon, such as seascapes.

• Reverse GND filter: Ideal for sunrises or sunsets. With this filter, the darkest area is in the centre of the filter.

• Medium GND filter: An all-rounder that lies between soft and hard and is versatile.

Familiarise yourself with the different types of GND filters and find out how each type can enhance your landscape images. The more you shoot, the more you'll realise that different situations require different filters (and yes, sooner or later you'll want to buy them all).

2. Use the graduated filter for waterfalls

With waterfalls, the upper area of the image is often brighter (as in this example with the waterfall and the trees in the background), while the lower area is in shadow. A soft GND filter can help to control the sky and the bright highlights without losing the darker details in the foreground. Make sure to place the filter so that the gradient starts above the waterfall to harmonise the exposure

3. You can rotate the graduated filter

In narrow gorges or canyons, as in this example, the light often comes from the side, making one side of the image bright and the other dark. Here you can rotate the GND filter so that the gradient is not horizontal but vertical or diagonal. This harmonises the side light and the darker side of the image retains its natural details.

Tip: Experiment with different rotation angles of the filter to achieve the perfect balance between the light and shadow areas.

4. Use the reverse filter for sunsets

If you've ever photographed a sunset, you know the problem: the horizon is extremely bright, while the sky above is darker. A reverse GND filter is made exactly for such scenarios. Its darkest area is in the centre of the filter, which is perfect for balancing out the extreme brightness on the horizon. This allows you to capture the colours of the sunset without making the foreground too dark.

Make sure to align the filter exactly with the sun and control the exposure manually. Combine the filter with a slight underexposure to make the colour tones appear even more intense.

5. Would you like some drama?

You can create maximum drama by layering two graduated filters on top of each other. The combination of two Soft GND filters or one Soft and one Medium GND filter is particularly effective for dramatically darkening the sky and creating an intense image effect. This technique is ideal if you want to create a dark, powerful atmosphere, for example in stormy weather conditions or cloud formations.

A high-quality filter holder is a must in order to be able to position the filters precisely on top of each other. This is the only way to keep the transitions clean and create the desired drama in the image

Landscape photography without graduated filters is like cooking without spices.

With the right GND filters, you can compensate for large differences in brightness and thus perfectly capture the natural lighting mood of your photos. My personal favourites are the GND filters from NiSi, in particular the NiSi GND8 Medium (0.9) 3 Stops and the NiSi GND8 Reverse (0.9) 3 Stops, which I use with the NiSi V7 filter holder.