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There are so many features of digital cameras that make them unique in comparison to the traditional cameras. One such feature is digital camera filter. The filters function for the digital photography in the same way as they do in the traditional cameras. The filters can adjust the light entering into the digital camera in many different and favorable ways. It works in a way that post processing cannot be duplicated easily.

The digital camera filters are the devices for pre-processing the image. In the post-processing, the optical filters foster the maximum visual impact, maximum photo realism and various things in between. The mounted filter adds to the risk of burn, among a few other downsides that are not unique to the digital cameras. But it does not come to anything more serious when you will see any photographic challenge being nicely addressed by a digital camera filter. When you will compare the cost and benefit factors of the digital camera filters, it amounts to be much favorable. Indeed, it is not uncommon for the filters to make things difficult.

The working of the filters is pretty much the same with both the film and digital cameras. There are some digital cameras that are more liable to blow out high lights as compared to the traditional film cameras. The filters, in this case, reduce the excess contrast and greatly help on the side of digital. Still, most of the digital cameras are less UV-sensitive. The ordinary UV filters rarely deliver some worth to the added risk of flare. The infrared filters are considered to be much easier in use on the digital side. The users can actually enjoy working with them.

Many filters that are commonly used are handed out to match the recording and working functions of the digital cameras. the UV cut, neutral density, polarizing, close-up filters all fall into the more or less same category. The UV and IR pass filters serve to extend to the reach of digital photographer away from the visible spectrum. The effects of the camera are difficult to further duplicate in the post-processing activities.

There are different types of filters available in the market. Creative filters alter the light directly to make the images warm, accent, soft, green, red and so on. Many effects of the creative filters can be duplicated comfortably in the post-processing activities. The protective filters are widely used to safeguard the expensive or replaceable camera optics.

It is also important for you to learn how to mount and size the filters on digital cameras. It is often seen that anyone who buys the filters for a digital camera faces problem on practical issues sooner or later. There are some technical things that you must think beforehand. The two practical issues can be solved by knowing well about the mounting method and the size. Well they can be different from one camera to the other. Camera variations can still be inevitable, but it is important to know about the basic working of the digital camera filter.

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Do you sometimes wonder why a professionally taken picture can look so full of impact? Sometimes you would realize a picture may have colors are “so bright” or a sunset that almost feels “warm” or a sky that is so “clear” and “blue” or even a portrait shot looks so “gentle” and “soft”.

The secret here is the clever use of filters. In analog (film) photography, a lens filter is attached to the front of a lens. Light passing into the camera is affected by the filter and this creates different effects in the final image.

In digital cameras, the built-in image processor mimics traditional filters to create the effects you would normally get. However, D-SLR cameras still uses physical filters as this allows for greater control of the effects of the filters.

If you are using a camera with threaded lens or a DSLR, here are several descriptions of some common photography filters that you can use to create interesting effects

UV Filter

If you use a SLR camera or a camera with threaded lens, a UV filter will be almost essential to keep on your camera all the time. It is a colorless filter and its purpose is to keep out ultraviolet light in the atmosphere and reducing atmospheric haze to capture images clearer.

Polarizing Filter

A polarizing filter cuts out reflections by preventing light waves from certain angle from passing through to the camera’s sensor (or film). This means that it also affects the light coming from water particles (i.e. clouds) in the sky at the same time enhancing the image by deepening the colors that comes through. It also is useful in shooting through surface of water and glass which are reflective.

A polarising filter gives you deep, rich and high contrast colours

Neutral Density Filter

A neutral density (ND) filter reduces the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor without affecting anything else such as colour. This allows you to create effects such as slow shutter speed. ND filter also come in graduated form which is particularly useful if you want to balance out the amount of lighting coming from the sky, which is generally brighter to light from the ground.

You can use an ND filter to reduce the amount of light and slow shutter speed to create effects like this

Warming Filter

Sometimes your pictures can look dull on a overcast or cloudy day. Your camera may capture an image that can appear cool. Warming filters help to add a little warmth for a more desirable effect. Sometimes strong warming filters can give that extra touch to a bright sunset.

Cooling Filter

Cooling filters does the opposite of warm filters and are less commonly used for photography. But, it helps to add saturation and impact to a dull sky.

Blue filter can give you a cool, misty morning feeling

There are also other less common filters such as the Soft-Filter (which is great for portraiture), Intensifying-Filter (to increase individual color saturation) and Infrared Filters (which enhances the effects of infrared radiation to create surreal light effects especially on green foliages).

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Lighting Your Shots to Improve Photograph Composition-Add Mood and Impact to your Photographic Images-SLR Camera Filters and other Camera Accessories

There are a number of hints, tips, techniques and tricks that you can master to enhance photograph composition, to add mood or impact to your pictures and with some easily understood camera skills turn the mundane into the spectacular.

Timing is a critical element of lighting and can work to your advantage. The best time of the day for shooting landscapes for example is either approaching dusk or just before and after dawn.

At these times the sun can be your friend times and you can use shadow and light to assist with contrast.  You can use the sun to light areas with low angled light that would lose light as the sun rises towards its zenith. This is also the time for interesting changes in colour and spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

When the sun is high, shadows are shorter and clearly defined. Shooting from shadow to light will over-expose naturally lit objects.  There are different ways to handle this problem. Can the object being photographed be moved into shade and dappled light, say through a tree be used to light the object?

Sometimes we have to choose between which elements we want to include in the photograph and compose our photo around those shot elements that work best.Can the camera settings be adjusted to compensate?

Stopping down the exposure settings may produce the desired effect to optimize the image but remember that shaded areas within the photo composition will also appear darkened so it is a matter of striking the right balance.

Adding light to your composition can be achieved in many interesting ways. Look for natural light filtering through trees to light your object. Light reflecting from a shiny surface such as a puddle, pond, stream  or still body of water not only introduces more light but adds a new dimension. Street lamps or other novel light sources reflected off a shop window or car bonnet are similarly effective.

Architectural features can often be enhanced when lit by the sun. If shooting pictures of buildings, select the aspects of the building that are highlighted by the contrasting effect of sunlight (and shade) falling on the building façade.

Another tool that can be used to remove shadows and still use natural light to light your objects is a white umbrella. The umbrella is angled in such a way as to bounce light onto the object dispelling the shadow.

If the light produced is still insufficient, forced fire-flash light might be required to augment the photo. Optional flash settings are available for digital camera users.

The key here is to not use too much light so check that your object is not washed out (over exposed). If you can’t reduce the amount of light then step back from your object and frame your shot with zoom. The flash impact is reduced accordingly.

Bracket the shot with other images that offer greater or lesser exposure and choose your preference later. With modern digital cameras, memory need not be an issue.

Storage is cheap and lots of differently composed image options giving a range of settings will enable choice of the most interesting pictures.    

Clouds lit from below can often appear more dramatic and threatening. You might also consider shooting into the sun to create silhouettes and add drama to your images.

Areas where you want to shoot may be crowded with people or activity during the middle of the day and shot making during the early mornings or evenings may give you interesting photo opportunities that didn’t exist during the middle of the day. 

Conversely, depending on the elements being captured, the opposite may be true so it is important to introduce planning into photograph shoots to optimize potential effects.

Another aspect of timing that is often overlooked is the influence that weather might have on a potential image. Bad weather produces grey and dull conditions.

The light may be softer and colours will be muted, creating different moods. Angry seas and stormy skies, wind-blown birds, bunting, flags, full sails, open umbrellas all add drama and serve to build atmosphere in a composition. 

Polarizing filters are another useful tool for boosting contrast and reducing reflections and have the effect of enriching colours of compositions for sometimes spectacular effect.

These filters also increase detail that might otherwise be washed out and can make for sensationally different photographs. A polarizing filter would be a great asset if you are using an SLR (single lens reflex camera). Learn how to use polarizing filters for great impact.

If you enjoy working with SLRs then it can be very useful to employ UV filters. Not only do they help to protect your lenses but they have the ability to remove some ultra violet light, reducing the appearance of atmospheric haze that is sometimes seen as a bluish tinting.  

Additional Resources:

Some sources that you might like to check out for techniques, tips, tricks,  and more can be found in photography books and magazines at my website portal www.photographyglobal.com where you can follow links to the best deals and discounts that that the web has to offer.  

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