Singh-Ray's new Vari-N-Duo "solved two problems with one filter in 8 seconds"

When Arizona-based landscape photographer Steve Kossack received his new Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo Polarizing Variable ND filter, he immediately saw new possibilities. A few days later, Steve led his annual backpack photo expedition into the Yosemite Park high country and to a dramatic setting at Tuolumne Falls -- where the river drops into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne above Hetch Hetchy Valley.

"In capturing this image," says Steve, "I wanted to give the falling water a more serene effect than I was seeing, and I also needed to reduce the strong glare from the wet surfaces of the rocks. The glare, in fact, was masking much of the raw texture and detail of the rocks in the foreground. Both of these problems were addressed quickly and easily with the Vari-N-Duo. Using the front "min/max" ring, I had no trouble dialing in enough density to achieve the eight-second exposure in shaded daylight. I then rotated the polarizing ring just enough to cut the glare from the rocks without over-darkening the sky.

"This next image captured on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park was a very different situation. Here the setting was almost too quiet and tranquil. The mist off the river was barely visible in the pre-dawn darkness and the long test exposures I was making hinted at the color that sunrise might deliver. I wanted to continue making long exposures, but as the morning light intensified my exposures with the Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier were becoming much shorter.

"So I then switched over to the ColorCombo to cut the glare off the river as it began to overpower the brightness of the sky. Still what I saw in the viewfinder was not as appealing as what I had seen earlier. The sky, as colorful as it had become, was still not dramatic in my opinion. That's when I decided to try 'painting' with my ND Grad during a long exposure.

"With the Vari-N-Duo's built-in polarizer there was no need to stack filters together and then figure out which ring to turn. No more getting them stuck together either. The filter’s operation is quick and easy -- something I can do in the dark! After I adjusted the polarizer ring, I then did the same with the ND ring. I now had a 30-second exposure and all that was left was to experiment with my Graduated Neutral Density filters to get a pleasing exposure for the painted sky. I went from 2 to 5 f-stops and then back until the first light was completely gone. In the image seen here, a 4-stop hard-step brought it all together.

"From now on", says Steve, "I'll keep my Vari-N-Duo ready for all those times when I need to polarize a long exposure, and I'll also keep my trusty Vari-ND filter along side for those shots when I don’t need the built-in polarizer. Each has its place."

To enjoy more of Steve's fine-art landscape photos, colorful how-to essays and news about his workshops, you'll want to visit his website.

Singh-Ray's new Vari-N-Duo "solved two problems with one filter in 8 seconds"

When Arizona-based landscape photographer Steve Kossack received his new Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo Polarizing Variable ND filter, he immediately saw new possibilities. A few days later, Steve led his annual backpack photo expedition into the Yosemite Park high country and to a dramatic setting at Tuolumne Falls -- where the river drops into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne above Hetch Hetchy Valley.

"In capturing this image," says Steve, "I wanted to give the falling water a more serene effect than I was seeing, and I also needed to reduce the strong glare from the wet surfaces of the rocks. The glare, in fact, was masking much of the raw texture and detail of the rocks in the foreground. Both of these problems were addressed quickly and easily with the Vari-N-Duo. Using the front "min/max" ring, I had no trouble dialing in enough density to achieve the eight-second exposure in shaded daylight. I then rotated the polarizing ring just enough to cut the glare from the rocks without over-darkening the sky.

"This next image captured on the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park was a very different situation. Here the setting was almost too quiet and tranquil. The mist off the river was barely visible in the pre-dawn darkness and the long test exposures I was making hinted at the color that sunrise might deliver. I wanted to continue making long exposures, but as the morning light intensified my exposures with the Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier were becoming much shorter.

"So I then switched over to the ColorCombo to cut the glare off the river as it began to overpower the brightness of the sky. Still what I saw in the viewfinder was not as appealing as what I had seen earlier. The sky, as colorful as it had become, was still not dramatic in my opinion. That's when I decided to try 'painting' with my ND Grad during a long exposure.

"With the Vari-N-Duo's built-in polarizer there was no need to stack filters together and then figure out which ring to turn. No more getting them stuck together either. The filter’s operation is quick and easy -- something I can do in the dark! After I adjusted the polarizer ring, I then did the same with the ND ring. I now had a 30-second exposure and all that was left was to experiment with my Graduated Neutral Density filters to get a pleasing exposure for the painted sky. I went from 2 to 5 f-stops and then back until the first light was completely gone. In the image seen here, a 4-stop hard-step brought it all together.

"From now on", says Steve, "I'll keep my Vari-N-Duo ready for all those times when I need to polarize a long exposure, and I'll also keep my trusty Vari-ND filter along side for those shots when I don’t need the built-in polarizer. Each has its place."

To enjoy more of Steve's fine-art landscape photos, colorful how-to essays and news about his workshops, you'll want to visit his website.