Aerial Photography— 3 Reasons to Use ND Filters

Drones allow us to capture incredible aerial footage, which leads to fantastic content, from simple photography to cinematic masterpieces. As with any kind of photography or cinematography, the devil is in the details, and mastering the take of a good piece versus a great piece involves understanding the varying nuances of light and composition. This is already hard enough within a controlled environment, but even more so when capturing dynamic content outside in varying conditions. To help bridge that gap, pilots can leverage ND (neutral density) filters to help capture footage in different lighting conditions. Let’s dive into how ND filters can help take your drone content to the next level. 

1. Controlling Exposure in Bright Conditions

When capturing content outside, you need to control the amount of light that is perceived by the sensor. ND filters limit light exposure, allowing you greater control over your footage so that you can avoid harsh shadows and overly bright highlights. ND filters allow you to limit overexposing your images.

2. Managing Contrast and Color Saturation

ND filters help mitigate glare and atmospheric haze by reducing light intensity; this can result in richer colors and sharper contrasts, which is useful for capturing objects at a distance (think landscapes and skylines) in which background footage may seem washed out or lackluster.

3. Maintaining Shallow Depth of Field

If you’re flying a drone, chances are the footage you’re trying to capture will be from a birds-eye-view. In this case, capturing proper depth is necessary to help imagery pop—otherwise, it might look flat and unfocused. To achieve this, you need to use a wider aperture… but how do you accomplish this in a bright open environment where you might face harsh, natural lighting? By using an ND filter! This technique adds depth and dimension for shots in which you want to capture architectural details, or isolated subjects against a blurred background.

In conclusion, ND filters are fantastic accessories for elevating aerial content. From helping you have greater control over light exposure, or adding color enhancements to your footage, you can leverage these accessories to upgrade your creative content.

Want to see ND filter use in action? Check out this video made by one of our experts as he gives a tutorial on using ND filters on the DJI Mini 4 Pro.