LEE filters vs Multi-exposures

[fiend]

Hi!

I've been reading a lot on landscape photography on different forums, watched youtube-videos, read magazines and so on. What I've seen is that some use Multi exposure - shooting to ensure that details in shadows aswell as in skies are obtained. Some even turn them into HDR (with different styles).

The thing is that I've also seen lots of videos and articles that use advanced filters like the LEE Filters to obtain similiar result.

What are your opinions about the two different methods to take great landscape photos?
I guess that a polariser cant be done with multi exposures or in post processing, but the graduated ND-filters etc could be achieved?

What makes it worth the 500 euro to obtain the LEE filterholder, NDfilters, polariser etc.. vs just using multiple exposures instead?

Best regards!
Fredrik

 

[sanj]

Good question Fredrik.
I have been thinking about this for a while too. My conclusion is that both methods work equally, it just depends upon the photographer.
I choose the multi exposure way as it gives bit more control and makes me travel lighter...
What has been your conclusion?

 

[fiend]

My conclusion so far is that I will use multibracketing, except when I have to remove glare from water/surfaces.. and have to use a longer shutterspeed. Then I will be using the filters from LEE.
And in the future I might get some graduated filters aswell so I can handhold them in front of my setup manually. A little more tricky, but way better than multiholders etc from LEE with vinjetting.

 

[BillyBean]

There is of course one key difference: filters use a single exposure, so nothing can move in the time interval between exposures...

Personally, I think they both have a role to play, but I accept their use is more limited on digital than film.

 

[wickidwombat]

you can get a cookie cutter vomit inducing slider monster like photomatix or have a look at this guys method which is much more natural in look and feel

http://goodlight.us/writing/paintinghdr/paintinghdr-1.html

i'll be honest you have to read all his tutorials a few times to g
et your head around it all