Why Use Filters in Photography

Filters can be helpful to improve the image you’re trying to capture. Lens filters alter the light captured by your camera, making a dull day seem like a lot of fun.

There are various kinds of lens filters available on the market. Photographers should discover which ones work best with their particular style of photography. Here are some reasons why photographers find filters useful in photography.

Lens Filters Are an Inexpensive Way To Protect Your Lens From Scratches and Dust

Don’t you hate it when dust and scratches on your lens ruin your shot? Well, a lens filter will prevent that from happening. Few people like to clean filters, and filters can get expensive. For this reason, filters are a great way to protect your lens from scratches and dust.

Are you adventuring outdoors with your camera? Whether for sports or nature photography, you probably don’t want to risk damaging your expensive lens with dirt, sand, or dust.

Use a protective filter on your lens before heading out on location. You can ensure that no foreign matter will damage your lens while you’re shooting.

Lens Filters Can Help You Take Better Photos

Lens filters work by reducing the amount of light that hits the camera sensor. This helps you out when you’re photographing in low-light situations. They work by reducing the amount of light that hits the camera sensor, so it’s easier to take a photo in a dark place.

Filters, like flashes, help prevent glare and reflections. They improve the hue of a picture’s colors, decrease light entering the lens, and more.

Each lens filter has a particular goal in mind. Each provides a specific impact that may be useful in improving the final appearance of an image.

A Circular Polarizer Filter Is a Great Choice for Taking Pictures on Sunny Days

You may have heard of polarization in sunglass lenses. Well, circular polarizers do the same. These popular lens filters work by blocking out glare from surfaces.

A circular polarizer’s primary purpose is to eliminate or regulate reflections like water, glass, paint, leaves, sky, buildings, streets, and the like. When light falls on these surfaces, they produce glare that brightens highlights but darkens colors and details.

Here are some excellent examples of when you’d use a circular polarizer filter:

When photographing something with a lot of glare
When you want to use a slower shutter speed
When photographing the sky—make clouds pop
To highlight wet surfaces
When there’s intense color coming from the light
When you want to shoot a rainbow at the right moment

A UV Filter Will Cut Down on Haze in Outdoor Shots

Another popular additive for sunglasses works the same with your camera lens. A UV filter, known as a skylight filter) can on a lens cuts down on haze in photos. It filters ultraviolet light by blocking out UV rays.

Consider utilizing a UV filter if you’re shooting landscapes or working in an area that might harm your lens. If you decide to use a UV filter or transparent glass screen protector, make sure it’s good quality.

Neutral Density Filters Control Exposure

Use a neutral density filter (ND filter) when shooting video or using slow shutter speeds with still photography.

ND filters help produce silky smooth water in landscape photography. Waterfalls, streams, lakes, and oceans are all good candidates for this look. Long exposures may make ethereal streaks in a hazy sky or remove moving objects from a shot.

Using a Graduated ND Filter Allows You To Shoot With Longer Exposures

When using a graduated ND filter (GND filter), you can shoot with longer exposures without overexposing the sky. You are still leaving the ground in focus when shot.

A Graduated Neutral Density filter is an opaque glass or resin that’s in front of the lens. Like an average ND Filter, it lets less light into the camera. The GND differs from these two filters in that it is only partially darkened.

FAQs About Lens Filters for Photography

What filters do photographers use?

UV filters
Polarizing filters
Neutral density filters
Graduated neutral density filters
Strong neutral density filters

Do professional photographers use lens filters?

Filters are often used by professional photographers. These filters improve the appearance of their photographs. There are many filter choices to pick from to improve your photographs in-camera. And infinite options for making presets exist for post-production.

Can I leave a UV filter on all the time?

There’s no right or wrong answer to the current issue. Some people believe that putting an additional glass in front of a camera lens may reduce picture quality or produce lens flare. Others enjoy leaving UV lens filters on all the time.