Filters and Photography

#TheShutterbug

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and with that, there’s those of us who want to capture these moments forever. With photography becoming a constantly growing and changing artistic way of expression, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up on all the different strategies and tools that you can use to alter your style of photography. One such area is that of filters for photography.

There are many different types of filters. So many that it can often feel a little overwhelming trying to figure out which ones you need or if you even need them at all! So that’s exactly why I want to try and break down a couple of the most popular filters used by photographers today.

Clear and UV filters

Let’s start out at the most basic filters, the clear and UV filter. These filters are very similar for the most part. Both are usually used primarily as a protection filter to create a barrier between your actual lens and the outside world.

Neutral Density Filter

Next we have the Neutral Density Filter. Often a filter that is used primarily with a flash, or when trying to get a beautiful scenic shot of mother nature. This type of filter reduces the brightness of your photo, without detracting from the color of your image.

Circular Polarizing filter

Then there’s the Circular Polarizing filter. This filter is one of my favorites due to the way it can control unwanted reflections. This filter has the ability to rotate while on your camera, giving you the option to remove reflections from glass or water so that you can see the world below it.

Although there are many more filters out there, getting a small understanding of just a couple of them will hopefully get you started in the right direction for your photography needs.

Have more questions? Schedule a 1-on-1 in-person photo class at the Shutterbug (1 hr for $45) online or in-store! Need to rent a camera? Give us a call for availability at (503) 639-5088.