Gold-N-Blue's Greatest Hits

After a number of months of limited availability, Singh-Ray is pleased to announce that our Gold-N-Blue filter is available again for online ordering and prompt shipment. In addition, it's now offered in more sizes:

• Standard Ring Mount: 52, 58, 62, 67, 72 and 77mm
• Thin Mount (no front threads): 62, 67, 72 and 77mm
• P-size Sprocket Ring Mount

So if you've been waiting to get yours, now you can get one just in time for spring photo opportunities. To celebrate, today we're presenting a few of the "Gold-N-Blue's Greatest Hits" from a variety of photographers' blog stories. You can click through to read the full version of any of the stories as well.

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Adam Barker: "Never has it been so important to create images that are a notch above the rest. There are numerous tools I rely on to help create unique images on a regular basis -- regardless of the conditions Mother Nature throws my way. That's why one of my most trusted filters is the Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer...

"Simply put, I have used this filter many times over to create something out of nothing. We have all faced the challenges presented by lackluster gray skies, flat shadowless lighting and/or colorless lakes and streams. You may have a dynamic subject and an engaging composition, but the light just might or might not be there. That's when I turn to my Gold-N-Blue Polarizer.

"This first image (above) features a classic western water scene from Lake Powell, UT. It seemed all the elements had lined up: wonderfully textured foreground, simple mid-ground and dramatic clouds serving as my background. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, however, clouds across the horizon sapped any hopes I had of a five-star image (or so I thought). I was able to 'save' the shot by screwing on my Gold-N-Blue Polarizer. I always recommend shooting several images, experimenting with different degrees/hues of polarization in order to ensure you’ve come away with a keeper." (Complete Story)

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Bob Krist: "Early in the shoot, I wasn’t having much luck dealing with the haze, but before dawn each morning, I hiked out to the Kona coast hoping to shoot the lava formations. It was gray, so I put on my Gold-N-Blue Polarizer and did some long exposures with the blue pumped up. Then as sunrise approached -- and the sky went from dark gray to medium gray -- I swung to the other end of the filter’s spectrum and put a nice warm glow over the writer’s favorite stretch of lava rocks on the coast. Chalk up another successful rescue for my trusty Gold-N-Blue." (Complete Story)

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Steve Kossack: "Photographing in the Mesquite Dunes is a highlight of every workshop. Actually being 'out there' in the dunes is a much different feeling than photographing from a safe roadside vantage point. 'Showtime' is how I describe those moments when first or last light of the day turns the dunes into a magical fantasy land of shapes, textures and colors. As our group set up on this clear spring pre-dawn, we began talking about what was to come at first light and we experimented with a combination of lenses and compositions. As the light became defused by a small cloud on the horizon, I commented on the purple mountains behind the dunes and quickly replaced my Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer with the Gold-N-Blue Polarizer. Then I shot this exposure and quickly bracketed two more exposures at 1/3 and 2/3 f-stop under that exposure. Then I exposed three more bracketed exposures after adding a 3-stop soft-step ND Grad to reduce the tone of the mountains. I then forgot all about this image until I saw it again in the raw converter. A nice surprise, indeed!" (Complete Story)

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Marcio Cabral: "This image was taken with my Canon 5D II and 17-40 lens early in the morning when the light was perfect and the great force of the waves helped make the scene appear even more dramatic. I used my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue to deliver an almost magical effect. I adjusted the filter to create just a little more blue on the ocean and the most intense gold in the sky. I adjusted the color balance in Adobe Camera Raw to correct for the filter's magenta effect, so I was able to increase the blue tones in the sky to contrast with the very warm clouds. To balance the bright light of the rising sun with the dark foreground, I also used a Singh-Ray 3-stop Reverse Graduated ND filter to control the brilliant sun and a second 3-stop soft-step ND Grad on the water to help define the waves." (Complete Story)

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Darwin Wiggett: "I tried out my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer on the scene and loved the colors the filter gave me. The only problem was I needed a slower shutter speed to get the silky water effect and the only way to get the shutter speed I wanted was to use an ND filter. So I took out my Vari-ND filter and screwed on the Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue to the front of the Vari-ND filter and rotated each individually until I got the Gold-N-Blue effect I liked and the long exposure time I needed." (Complete story)

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Joel Addams: "I was intrigued by the unique new challenge of photographing a black lava landscape. I shot for several days, approaching the dark tones of the lava in a very straightforward manner. I simply tried to keep them black. One day as the rain was pouring down, however, I searched for some new approach to the endlessly black and rather drab views. Suddenly, the black shiny lava reminded me of the black pearls I had seen while traveling in other countries. I remembered seeing a hue of blue in the pearls and pulled out my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue filter to see the effects.

"I was fascinated by the brilliant blues and golds that shimmered off the wet lava. To me, the black was actually enhanced by colors, as if they naturally exuded that spectrum of light anyway. A simple twist of the Gold-N-Blue filter, and I could chose not only the hue of the lava, but also the intensity. The filter was so interesting that I decided to shoot a series of images of lava in sort of a study on texture. Everywhere I went over the next few days, I would try the Gold-N-Blue filter, sometimes coupled with an ND Grad filter to hold back the light in the sky." (Complete Story)

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Matt Wade: "Speaking of the Gold-N-Blue Polarizer, which I’ve come to trust as a great photographic tool; it's important to adjust the camera's white balance setting to avoid garish or unnatural looking images. The Gold-N-Blue often confuses my camera’s auto white balance setting, so I manually set my white balance to a warmer setting (usually in the 5000-6000K range) than what my camera would normally choose. Doing this helps me avoid neon blues and also preserves the delicate yellows and pinks of early morning light. My pre-dawn image from Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (at left) and my sunrise shot from Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road (below) confirmed the careful balance between the Gold-N-Blue and my white-balance settings.

"One could say that it’s easier to adjust the white balance of your images by means of the camera's 'custom' white balance setting* or during post processing in the computer with RAW images, but I’ve found that experimenting with manual white balance while using any Singh-Ray filters in the field opens up unexpected creative opportunities." (Complete Story)

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The images in this story give you just a taste of the creative potential you can discover with the Gold-N-Blue filter. Click here to read all of our blog entries that discuss the Gold-N-Blue, or to order, just visit our online store.

*Tip: As a starting point when using the Gold-N-Blue, consider setting a "Custom White Balance" in the field with the Gold-N-Blue in place on the lens (in any position) prior to making an image. Doing so will display a "normal" image on the LCD, with gold or blue accents. This step can minimize the need for post processing, although adjusting the white balance settings in RAW processing is also effective. Refer to your camera's manual for specific instructions on setting a Custom White Balance.