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Colorado Paint Mine Revisited - Calhan, Colorado

We always seem to screw up the perfect time to go out and do some nighttime photography.  Well, while I was munching on my granola for breakfast yesterday I got to thinking... Hmmm, the Paint Mine outside of Colorado Springs would be cool to shoot at night.  Tonight is a full moon and mostly clear.  Mostly.

Sounded good to us.  Time to charge the batteries and clean off the filters.

Since we are now interested in serious Neutral Density Photography, we packed our Variable Neutral Density filters and step down rings in the bag and headed out.

We took a few test shots and then setup our tripods, attached our ND Filters and found that they really SUCK.  Big time.  We couldn't get the filters to stop all the way down.  I won't go into all of the details about ND Filters but they basically allow you to stop down the light entering the camera lens without affecting color.  Why would you do this you ask?  Nice blurs on waterfalls, creamy ocean shots, unbelievable landscapes.  The list goes on.

I guess that it would be a good time to mention that we spent a good hour or so watching some youtube videos learning how to use REAL ND Filters.  We decided to go with a brand called Lee.  Professional quality and relatively inexpensive.  Since the filters are rectangular a holder is required.  Long story short here.  We can get a starter set which includes the holder and a few filters for around $250 each. We cannot share camera equipment.  Tried it once.  Never again.

After our fiasco yesterday with the crap we already have, we will be ordering the good stuff in a couple of days.  Never, ever buy Promaster unless you like subpar camera equipment.  Don't get me wrong. They make good UV Filters but the rest of the product lines suck. Save yourself a headache and purchase B+W.  Quality glass and a good price.  Your camera will thank you.  Your kids may be pissed since they will need to go to community college.  Fuck 'em...tell them to get a job like your parents did (or at least mine did).

Picture time:






Until next time...




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