Now that everyone uses image-editing
software to modify their digital photos many people assume that physical
filters are an expensive luxury. While some filter effects are easy to
duplicate in the digital darkroom others are much easier to achieve with the
actual filter. If you prefer spending time with your camera rather than your
mouse, then consider these four essential filters.
1.
UV Filter
Think of your UV filter as the
default filter that sits on the front of your lenses at all times. Originally,
UV filters were designed to remove haze caused by ultraviolet light reflecting
off dust in the air. Modern digital cameras remove all ultraviolet haze
themselves, so a UV filter is useless in this respect. What a UV filter does do
is protect your lenses from bumps and scratches. It is much cheaper to replace
a UV filter than to have a lens element reground or replaced.
2.
Circular Polarizing Filter
Circular polarizing filters deepen
the intensity of blue skies and saturate colours. They are essential for
outdoor photography, especially on sunny days. Polarizers also reduce
reflections on the surface of water and glass, and generally reduce glare. The
great advantage of circular polarizers is that you can modify their effect by
twisting them on the front of your lens. This means you can play around with
the effect and decide what looks best for each shot.
A polarizing filter is at its most
effective when it is used at right angles to the sun. They eat up light so you
may need to use a tripod if you are taking landscape photos with a circular
polarizing filter. Using a tripod for landscapes is always a good idea anyway!
The colour-intensifying effect of a polarizing filter is very hard to duplicate
in the digital darkroom.
3.
Neutral Density Filter
A neutral density filter or ND
filter darkens your photos by cutting out a percentage of the available light.
Since photographers spend most of their time chasing after light this may seem
like a crazy thing to do. ND grads however are extremely useful to both
landscape and travel photographers. Using an ND grad filter allows you to cut
out enough light to create motion blur during the day. This means that you can
take photos of blurred commuters getting off trains, or blurred crowds at a
festival. For landscapes use your ND grad to get blurred waves and flowing
streams. ND grads also allow you to reduce depth of field and get beautiful
bokeh in bright light.
4.
Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Graduated neutral density filters or
ND grads are large square filters that are vital for serious landscape
photography. The top half of an ND grad filter is brown and works like a normal
ND filter, blocking out a proportion of the available light. The bottom half is
similar to a UV filter and doesn’t block out any light. The transitional zone
between the two sections is gradual. ND grads allow you to balance out bright
skies and darker foregrounds without having to use multiple exposures and
image-editing software. To use an ND grad filter simply align the transition
zone with the horizon and take your photo. You can either manually hold the
filter over the front of your lens, or buy a specialist filter holder.