The world of photography is full of new things to learn. One of the most exciting aspects of getting into photography is learning about different kinds of camera filters. There’s no doubt that these filters can make a massive difference in the quality of your images and help you get professional results in almost any situation. While there are many camera filters on the market, the ND filters and Polarising filters are best suited for boudoir photography.
GND Filters
- GND filters can balance out the light in your images, but they should be used with care.
- GND filters are designed to reduce the contrast between the highlights and shadow areas of an image.
- They’re most helpful when you have a wide range of light in your scene and for balancing out harsh sunlight coming through windows.
You can use a GND filter to increase the detail in your image by reducing the contrast between highlights and shadows.
ND Filters
ND filters will help you to control the light entering your camera. This can be used in various ways, but it’s most commonly used to make a shallow depth of field or a motion blur effect.
ND Graduated Filters (aka ND Grads) is half-transparent, half-opaque glass filters designed to block out specific areas of the image while allowing other parts to pass through unaffected. These filters come in two parts: the top part is clear and acts as an ND Filters; while underneath, there’s an opaque strip that acts as an adjustable “mask”, which allows you to alter how much light goes through each part of this filter depending on how far away from your subject you place it.
Colour Filters
Colour filters, also known as colour gels, add a colour tint to the image. The effects of a colour filter can range from subtle and natural to dramatic and bold. This tool is commonly used in landscape photography, where it’s often used to create a blue sky or cloudless day effect.
While portrait photographers do not as widely use them, they come in handy when you want to enhance your mood or create a vintage look. For example, if you’re shooting boudoir photos during wintertime with snow on the ground outside, using a red filter will make your subject appear warmer than usual (and maybe even give them rosy cheeks).
Polarising Filters
Polarising filters are some of the most valuable filters for photography. They reduce glare and reflections, which makes them perfect for outdoor shots in bright sunlight. You’ll find they’re accommodating when you’re shooting on a sunny day with clear skies; they can be used with any lens and stacked with other filters.
A polariser is simply a piece of glass or plastic that you screw into the front of your lens, just like other filter systems. It lets you control how much light passes through it by rotating it until you reach your desired amount (usually between 20% to 80%). The difference with polarisers is that instead of altering colours as some other types do, their effect isn’t dramatic. It simply reduces unwanted reflections from water or glass surfaces without changing colour tones dramatically or darkening a scene too much (which can happen if you use an ND grad).
Variable ND Filter
The Variable ND filter is an adjustable version of a neutral density filter, which reduces the amount of light entering the lens. You would want to use this instead of a fixed-strength ND because it makes it much easier to get precisely what you want out of your image: more or less light, with no guesswork involved. To adjust how much light gets through, rotate the front element on top as needed.
When choosing between fixed vs variable NDs, it’s worth noting that there are also “hard” and “soft” varieties available.
Lens Cap Holder
If you’re going to be shooting in a space where many other people are present, you may want to consider using a lens cap holder. Lens cap holders are helpful in keeping the lens cap from getting lost and storing it in a safe place that won’t damage your camera. They can also be attached to your camera strap or bag so that it’s easy to find when you need them.