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Filters, which do what and how to use them effectively

There are two types of filters.. The first is attached to the lens of your camera and the second is used in the darkroom. We will be talking about some of the first type this time and the rest next time. So, what is the point of using filters? Well sometimes an ordinary photograph that has not been distorted or manipulated can look a little dull and boring. Both types of filters can make the photograph look more atmospheric, give it contrast or distort its colour and shape in order to make it look more pleasing to the eye. Of course in the digital age you can do this with a photo imaging software on a PC or Apple Mac.

The filters that are probably the most used are those which distort colour. These are normally used to give a certain tint to an object within the frame, for example, a sunset. You would use a yellow filter to make the sun and the surrounding scape more of a yellow colour which would make it more atmospheric. The image does not have to be yellow all over though as you can make a slight hole in the filter making part of the image its natural colour and the rest of it yellow, which is also very effective. You may be wanting to ask, "can you use filters with black and white film?" The answer is yes, but of course u will not gain any colour effects from using lens filters. Instead they will alter the images contrast and give it a more atmospheric look. Colour correction and light balancing filters do just that and there are normally used for portrait photography as they can alter the skin tone and balance the light around the subject to make the image far more appealing and attractive.