Australian_Photography_-_March_2016_

O

ne question I get asked quite frequently at the

various workshops and seminars that I present is,

“Do I still use filters and if so, which ones?”

It’s a fair question given that photographic filters,

in one form or another, have been around for over 100 years

since Frederick Wratten manufactured dyed gelatin filters to be

used in front of the camera lens rather than in the enlarging or

projection process.

So the short answer to the questions is, “Yes, I still use filters.”

The answer to “why, and which ones?” requires more

explanation but there’s no doubt in my mind that filters are just

as useful a tool as they were 100 years ago.

What are filters for?

Put simply, a filter physically modifies the characteristics of the

light entering the lens.

Capture devices (film or digital) react in specific ways to the

different wavelengths of light. Film is fixed in its sensitivity

to different colours so, pre-digital, if you wanted your photo

(particularly slide film) to look in any way different to the way

42 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Filters

Fabulous

Here’s a question for you. Has

the kind of ilter you attach

to the front of your lens been

superseded by the kind of

ilter you select from a drop-

down menu in Photoshop? Not

according to Nick Rains who

names his favourite ilters and

explains why these special

pieces of glass should be a part

of every photographer’s kit.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY MARCH 2016