Photography is an art, and like any other forms of arts, it requires certain tools to embellish its work. One of the finest tools among other tools is lens filters. These filters serve a lot of purposes and are very important for all photographers. They reduce glare to improve saturation of the photographs. There is a myriad of lenses available in the market for various uses. For example polarizing filters. These filters are used for landscape photography. The intensity of this filter varies by rotating the filter. Another type of filter is a neutral density filter. They come at various prices. The protective lens filters do not allow scratches, dust or cracks to accumulate on the lens. A lot of photographers in their photography blogs online often recommend the use of filters. Photography schools teach their students how to use filters effectively. The photography services are so expensive due to the use of these special filters only.
Various Uses of Lenses
(1)Enhancement of color: These lenses moderate or burgeon the color and contrast of the images. Some of these lenses also correct temperature of a scene in the photograph. These features of lenses make the photographs look more vibrant and lively. Therefore they also play a major role in enhancing pictures in event photography and wedding photography. Normal photographs cannot convey much meaning to the audience and require camera lens filters for a better impact. However, a lot of photographers find it vain to invest money in filters as photography camera like DSLR naturally come with these features. There is no need to buy filters. However, there are certain features which are present only in the filters.
(2) Provide better exposure: Filters provide accurate and even exposure across the entire image. They perform this task by thwarting the amount of light that enters the lens to some extent. They are very helpful for outdoor shoots. For any photograph it is very important that the essential part of the photograph is exposed properly; otherwise the idea behind the picture cannot be conveyed properly. For example, in product photography, the use of essential filters can be very beneficial for advertisement purposes.
(3) Addition of impact to the image: These lenses add extra impact to the photographs by increasing contrast, enabling the creation of more vivid colors and eliminating glare and other distracting reflections from the photographs. They have very intriguing features like multipoint stars. The filters serve a multitude of purposes. They can be considered to be a Jack of all trades in photographs.
Other Benefits of Filters
Protection: These filters not only enhance and bring out the best from the photographs but also protect the lens from moisture, dirt and all types of scratches. Due to these features, they are considered to be ideal for shooting in wet and dusty weathers. Earlier these filters were also ideal in preventing the ultraviolet light from causing a blurred image in photographic films that were considered to be sensitive to UV rays.
Macro photography: These filters also help in capturing Macro photos without the use of a Macro lens. However, these filters are unable to replace the actual magnifying power of the Macro lenses. These filters are useful for still image photography.
Special effects: These filters are also very useful for providing special effects to the images. They can add effects like a twinkle in image highlights. One has the flexibility to choose from two to eight point stars for the photographs. Fashion photography requires a lot of special effects, and therefore it is beneficial for a photographer to use these filters.
Is it mandatory to use lens filters?
It is not mandatory or essential to use lens filters as some of their effects can also be produced by certain software. For example, the exposure of sky as well as the landscape can be done by software and does not require lens filters. Technology has advanced to such a level that most everything can be done using the required software and android applications. However certain special features like removing glare from water in the photographs can only be done by the lens and not by software. It solely depends on the photographer as to whether or not buy lenses filters for the photographs. It will enable the photographer to present his work in a more efficient manner. These filters are not that expensive and can be availed at a few bucks. In my opinion, one should definitely invest in good quality filters for better work.