Last year I learned about GND (gradual Neutral Density) filters.  I had owned a set for a while but never really used them.  I then went on my first group shoot with my own photo forum and everyone had theirs in use that morning so I pulled mine out of the bag and was blown away at how useful they were.  I’ve been a fan ever since.  The shot above was taken late 2009 and shows how big of a difference just a ONE stop GND can make.  Both shots have minimal processing in LR.  I have 3 filters, a 1 2 and 3 stop GND.  I’ve even learned to stack them recently as well for up to a 5-stop GND…