You’ll often hear photographers talk about the filters they like to use on their camera lenses. Filters can range from UV haze filters to Neutral Density filters and the most common, the “Circular Polarizer” or “Polarizer” filter. Each has their own distinct purpose to alter the look and feel of
Some of you may be familiar with using a circular polarizer (also known as CPL) when it comes to landscape photos. They’re great for shooting through water or glass without the annoying reflections. Well, have you ever thought about reflections in a still life scenario? When working with shiny objects
We’ve frequently talked about using polarizing filters to make more striking landscape photographs, but they are at least as important for making more vibrant portraits, and cutting your retouching time in half. Let me show you how it works, as well as some general tips. What does a polarizer do?
Every once in a while I get a request for review that makes me raise an eyebrow a bit. The Freewell Magnetic VND filter system was one of those requests. As someone who regularly uses magnets for my photography (with the MagMod system), the thought of using magnetic filters intrigued
When I decided to invest in filters for my Sony a7 III system, I didn’t just want to go with the filters I already had because they were easy and affordable. I wanted some that provided great color accuracy and no obvious image quality degradation. For my wide-angle, I ultimately
One of the major challenges in landscape photography is managing reflected light, especially when working around water. The single best way to subdue reflection is to use a circular polarizing filter (B&H | Amazon) to control the amount of scattered light across the lens in full sun. Polarizing filters are
There are times when the available light does NOT work in your favor. Perhaps you want a longer exposure of a waterfall to obtain that soft silky water effect, but there is too much light. Even when your exposures are set to their limits, that is when filters can come
When photographing surveillance, I kind of feel like a sniper. You have someone in your sight — they have no clue — and then you gently squeeze the shutter. Bang — you shot them. Well, kind of, with a camera of course. My name is Mike Kubeisy, and I’m a
What’s not to love about making portraits in front of waterfalls? Beautiful place, beautiful people, water spraying your camera, nothing going the way you had in mind — it’s a blast! When you photograph a bride and groom in front of a waterfall, you need that smooth water look. If
I recently bought a house, so I was looking at loads of real estate pictures. Most are simply informative pictures, and most are made with a smartphone. Real estate pictures can be fun to make, however, and when done well they can help sell a house more quickly. HDR is
(Editor’s note: Im delighted to welcome Marc Silber of Silber Studios to Photofocus. Marc’s passion is photography and sharing the best tips he can find with other image makers.) Ever wanted to hear some of the lighting tips, tricks, and hacks from an Emmy-winning filmmaker? Well, here you go. Just click play…
Some of the most-utilized items that photographers have are lens filters. These give photographers ways to control color, reflections, highlights and more. But what filters should you get, and when should you use them? UV Filters As a beginning photographer, I used UV filters on all my camera lenses. They
