I'm always looking for inspiration to stretch my photography and inspiration to get out and shoot.  With the crispness of the air approaching and the first signs of leaves turning, it's not hard to find great subjects in autumn.  Pumpkin patches and apple orchards are a great opportunity for seasonal shots as well as informal and candid portraits of friends and family.  The sun is getting up later making it easier to get the early morning light, good for those of us who don't like getting up early, unfortunately that mean sunset is getting earlier and makes it harder for those of us who have full time day jobs to get home in time to catch the light.

One of the gadgets that I find very helpful when taking fall landscapes is a graduated neutral density filter.  This type of filter helps darken the bright sky and makes the dynamic range of your image not exceed the capability of your camera.  More simply said, it allows you not get the blinkies from the sky being too bright while still properly exposing your subject.

The Lee & Cokin "P" type filters work the best, they are rectangular and go in a holder.  One side of the filter is clear and the other is dark.  There are both soft and hard edge options.  The hard edges are good for seascapes or landscapes with a very definite difference from light to dark and the soft edge is good for more irregular horizons. You'll also need the appropriate filter holder and adapter ring for the thread size of your lens.  The Cokin filters are substantially more inexpensive than the Lee filters, but the holders are compatible.  You can try the Cokins and see if you like the results and see if you find additional investment worthwhile. 

The filters are rated in a scale of darkness or number of stops darker than the clear side.  A 0.3 = 1 stop darker, 0.6 = 2 stops darker & 0.9 = 3 stops darker.  I personally find the 0.6 filter the most useful.  I don't suggest the colored graduated filters for landscapes or seascapes, but just the graduated neutral density filters.

You can find more information at http://www.great-landscape-photography.com/graduated-filters.html.

Scott Musson
smusson "at" mindspring.com