An awful lot of photographers have never used lens filters and, thanks to the ever-increasing dynamic range of modern mirrorless cameras, the frankly mind-boggling capabilities of the latest photo editing software and even a few clever in-camera effects (I’m looking at you, OM System), there have never been fewer reasons to ignore lens filters altogether.
But if any of that sounds at all familiar to you, and especially if you’ve never used a lens filter before, then I’m here to tell you: that is a great shame. Using lens filters isn’t just fun; I think it’s an important step in almost every photographer’s journey.
Don’t get me wrong, how often you use lens filters will depend on the genre(s) that you shoot. But if you’re a prolific photographer, you’ll almost certainly encounter a situation where a physical lens filter would fit the bill at some point.
For example, I capture a lot of motorsport photography and a neutral density filter is a useful asset when capturing pans with extremely slow shutter speeds. Because many races take place during the brighter months and in the middle of the day, it can often prove impossible to reach shutter speeds such as 1/20 sec without using an ND.
But I digress; the whole point of this article is to explain how using a lens filter changed my whole relationship with photography.
How a simple lens filter changed my relationship with photography forever
Perhaps the most cliched piece of photography advice is "get it right in-camera".
I generally agree with the sentiment, but there are times when I oppose it. For example, if your image is sharp, you’ve got enough resolution to play with and you didn’t have time to refine your framing, I see nothing wrong with heavy cropping at all.
However, you should absolutely aim to get it right in-camera where possible. That’s where lens filters come in.
Filters enable you to produce all manner of effects in-camera. And I believe that to be extremely important for several reasons, but by far the most important is that it enables you to realize the image you have in your mind’s eye as you take it.
I remember the first time I used a filter; unsurprisingly, I was using an ND filter to restrict the amount of light entering my camera, so I could use a very slow shutter speed to blur a body of water. It was like watching a magic trick happen right before my eyes.
I couldn’t believe that I’d managed to create what I was seeing on my camera’s playback screen without the use of digital editing software. It was all me and my camera!
That was a huge confidence booster – and boy did it ramp up my love for photography. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that using a filter for the first time can transport you right back to when somebody first handed you a camera as a child.
I love photo editing more than most. But at its core, photography is about using a device that exposes a light-sensitive material to light, enabling you to capture a moment in time.
A lens filter doesn’t take away from that process; it adds to it. It interacts with the light as it enters your camera – shapes the light, if you will – and leaves you to marvel at the results.
If you’ve never thought about using a filter before, get yourself a cheap one I don’t care whether it’s an ND, ND grad, polarizer, diffusion filter or anything else; every photographer should try a physical lens filter at least once.
You might also like...
Filters require a good understanding of the exposure triangle and if there’s one genre of photography where filters are essential, it's landscape photography. Plus, here are the best cameras for landscape photography.
