The world of digital photography is more than camera, lenses, flash and tripod, there are other accessories that you can use that allow you to get stunning and spectacular photos, one of these accessories are the filters.
Whether you’re a photographer in the world of SLRs or your compact camera allows you to screw accessories in front of the lens, in today’s article you’ll learn what filters are, what they’re used for, and how these devices can help you get stunning photos.
- As the name suggests.
- Filters are accessories that are placed in front of the camera lens to change the way light enters the camera and is picked up by the sensor.
- Something like putting on.
- For example.
- Sunglasses.
While they have lost the prominence they acquired in the age of analog photography, they remain today a fundamental accessory for the realization and purpose of photographs.
There are many types and uses of photo filters that can now offer you obvious advantages when it comes to taking your photos compared to computer editing (post-production).Later, I’ll name them one by one.
Whether or not you use photographic filters when making will be a very personal decision that you will have to make, there are photographers who prefer to invest in them and there are others who, for mainly economic reasons, decide not to do so.and then edit the photos on a computer. Both positions are respectable, valid and correct.
It should be noted that with its use you can obtain results that are not possible to obtain once the photo is taken, such as using a neutral density filter to lower exposure levels when photographing a waterfall or eliminating reflections from a window to photograph what is behind .
In addition, you will get at the time of shooting, a photograph very similar to the previous one, saving you editing time on your computer.This has more to do with the traditional process of gestating the photographs, but will require more knowledge of the equipment to take each shot so that you can achieve effects impossible to achieve in the later edition.
Please note that many prestigious photo contests do not allow you to submit photos that have been digitally modified on the computer.
The real photographer works with light, not a mouse
It does not have the same merit to take an excellent photo using filters when shooting, getting an almost definitive image, which after a few clicks, achieves something similar through the computer, being able to try different combinations until you get the best.
Quality filters are not cheap at all, and getting one can force you to pay a considerable amount, not to mention they are fragile and deteriorate easily if you don’t have enough care with them.
The vast majority of these quality filters are only available on demand due to their high price, here I have prepared a small list of the most prestigious brands to consider:
Each brand has its pros and cons, but if you buy filters from one of the brands I just mentioned, you will surely have purchased a quality product.
There are different systems to be able to place a filter in front of the lens of your camera, and this will depend on the type of camera, SLR or compact, to which you want to add one.
The main systems for achieving this are two
Not all photos will require you to use a filter to take the photo, but there are some photos that will gain in quality, whether aesthetic or technical, if you use one of these filters.
The use of filters is very common in landscape photography, where shots are prepared with a long pre-revealed time and where effects are sought that, in many cases, are not perceptible by the human eye or are not actually produced by nature, such as a red sky.
Below is a list of the filters most used by photographers today with their corresponding explanations and photographs as an example and inspiration:
Polarizers
This type of filters are used to increase contrast, gain transparency and eliminate reflections in your photos, it is one of the most used filters because it allows you to contrast scenes, darken the blue of the sky, reduce fog, lighten clouds and eliminate reflections.non-metallic surfaces such as water, crystals, etc.
I do not recommend its use in already very contrasted scenes, because it will lose detail in the extreme tones, lighter and darker, unless that effect is what you are looking for.
Keep in mind that when using a polarizing filter, its maximum effect is achieved when the light is lateral at 90 degrees, which means that with the sun front or back, this filter will have no effect.
Neutral Density (ND)
These filters have no effect on the color of the scene, as their main purpose is to significantly reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor. This type of filter is very useful when, in good lighting conditions, long exposures are required. Without changing colors, you can take photos with large apertures and very slow shutter speeds, in situations where the photo would normally be completely overexposed.
I recommend that if you are going to get one of these filters, buy at least one of the 3 diaphragms, because to subtract less light a polarizer or combine a low ISO polarizer and well-closed diaphragms will suffice.
The most common neutral density filters are diaphragms 6, 8 and 10 and the most recommended are glass filters because gelatin filters tend to reduce the quality of photographs.
Note that by allowing less light to enter the sensor, the camera’s autofocus is unlikely to work.I recommend that you focus the scene manually and then add the neutral density filter or ND.
Enhancer
The Enhancer filter is used to enhance the warm colors of scenes, altering little or nothing the rest of the colors.It is a very specific filter and recommended only to represent sunrises or evenings, reinforcing the warmer tones.
I do not recommend its use if the scene already has a warm enough color temperature, as it may exaggerate.
Gradient
These types of filters are used to balance the different contrasts that occur in a scene, that is, this filter obscures some areas of the photo and not others so that you can get details in both lights and shadows.
Gradients can be neutral, so as not to alter the colors of the scene, or colored, to dye it, and the density of degradation varies depending on the number of openings they reduce.
Again, as with neutral density or ND filters, I recommend not buying less than 3 diaphragms and, if possible, its system is rectangular and mounted by means of a filter holder, so you can place the gradients wherever you want.
color
Color filters have almost ceased to be useful in the age of digital photography because their effect can be replaced by the use of white balance.
The different colors of the filters saturate a certain range of colors creating very striking photographs.
Change the effects
Los filtros de efectos son cada vez más utilizados por los fotógrafos, sobre todo por aquellos que se especializan en paisajes. De hecho, no hace tanto tiempo que están disponibles en el mercado.
As Mario explained in the article on the types and uses of photo filters, these are filters that provide specific effects that could only be achieved by editing the photos later on the computer.
The most popular of these special filter types is the fog filter, which, as the name suggests, allows you to add a fog effect to your photos.
You can get a similar effect using a UV filter, your breathing to blur the camera vision and a lot of practice!
Infrared (IR)
Contrary to what the name suggests, these types of filters are not designed to block infrared waves, but are instead used to achieve color desaturation in search of pale and grayish photographs.
Does it work filtering? Visible to the human eye, blocking it, and allows only infrared radiation to reach the sensor, generating a very particular and surreal effect.
Ultraviolet and skylight
This type of filter, although mainly used to protect your lens lens from possible shocks, is responsible for filtering ultraviolet light and correcting excess blue in photographs, albeit almost imperceptibly.
Its cost is very economical and its use can save you more than a headache, if you have to walk with your camera hanging all the time, vulnerable to possible bumps and scratches.
Filter combination
Once you’ve mastered each of the filters you plan to specialize in, you can start combining them for amazing photos like this one.
Getting quality filters is not very cheap, so I recommend that you first think carefully about the decision of the type of system (circular or rectangular) that best suits your needs as well as the uses and situations that you will use them.
I recommend that if you’ve been excited about using filters, make an effort to achieve the essentials, that is, just spend your money on the ones you use frequently, don’t pick up the accessories from a drawer that you’ll only use once.
You can start with 1 or 2 filters and fully understand their uses, their apps and the final effect you’ll add to your photos. This way, before you get a new filter, you’ll make sure you’ve extracted the juice from the previous one.
I hope you liked the article and do not hesitate to leave your comments, experiences or contributions in the comments.Ah, as always, if you think the article deserves a recommendation …Recommend!? Cordial greetings