Photography Digital - Kind of Camera Filter (2)
Jan 26th, 2008 by admin
Filters are to photographers what adjectives are to writers. They help inject color and a personal style to what is being communicated.
Photography is a great medium for the communication of ideas and visions. Unfortunately, this medium’s translator (film) isn’t. The problem is film does not see the same way we see. Our eyes, emotions and imagination can perceive and enjoy a warm colorful sunrise over a foreground field of dew laden wildflowers. Film on the other hand has no emotions or imagination and only sees light as levels of brightness. This scene that may move us emotionally, is only a narrow series of bright and dark light values to film. “Narrow” being the key word here. Film (for this example, color slide film) can see a contrast range between light and dark of about 3 to 4 stops maximum. Or the other hand, our eyes can perceive a contrast range in excess of 10 stops. In this example the dawn sky could easily be over 5 stops brighter than the foreground of wildflowers.
This large difference in brightness between the sky and foreground is beyond film’s ability to see and record. Regardless of the metering system you have in your camera or employ manually, you cannot capture that image or film . . . without a little creative help. That creative help comes in the form of a filter.
In taking the picture, there’s no specific rules or formulas, each of us (as a photographer) must has own style. Let’s do the experimentation, creativity and personal taste guide your use of these tools, they will greatly help expand the possibilities of what you can successfully translate from your mind’s eye to film.
Ultra-violet (uv) Filters
Absorbs ultraviolet rays. Gives cleaner, sharper pictures with less haze. It is recommended to leave a UV filter on your camera lens at all times to protect the lens from dust, moisture, scratches, and breakage.
A Sky Filter
Reduces the excessive bluishness that frequently occurs in outdoor color photography, especially in open shade under a clear, blue sky. The absorption peak is in the range which corresponds to the film’s green spectrum. This means outstanding outdoor shots with superb color balance and clarity under all conditions. Also keeps skin tones free of colored reflections from nearby objects such as the shade of trees.
Polarizer Filters
Light rays which are reflected by any surface become polarized and polarizing filters are used to select which light rays enter your camera lens. There are two kinds for polarising filter, Linear Polarizing filter and Circular Polarizing filter. Both of them have the same effect, but it is important that you choose the correct version for your camera. Linear Polarizing is used on non-auto focus cameras, and Circular Polarizing is used on auto focus cameras. They allow you to remove unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as water, glass etc. They also enable colors to become more saturated and appear clearer, with better contrast. This effect is often used to increase the contrast and saturation in blue skies and white clouds (outdoors photography).
Without Filter With Filter
Neutral Density Filters
Reduces the amount of light without affecting the color. Eliminates overly bright, washed out images. Great for video.
ND filters main uses:
- To enable slow shutter speeds to be used, especially with fast films, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, cars, seas etc.
- To decrease depth of field by allowing wider apertures to be used, which helps separate subjects from their background.
- To decrease the effective ISO of high speed film (ie: above ISO400) and allow it to be used outdoors in bright situations.
Neutral Density filters are often ignored by photographers, in conditions of extreme light intensity, such as sunshine on snowy mountains or on the beach, or when using a camcorder, ND (Neutral Density) filters are recommended.
Other Special Effects Filters
Close-up - For close-up photography.
Sepia Filters - Give a nostalgic effect to otherwise ordinary color or black & white photographs.
Softener Filters Creates a picture with a clear focus and a soft gradation
Infrared (IR) Pass Filters These filters allow infrared light to pass through while blocking the visible light.
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