Project three: Essen tialgear skills: Top tips for using filters

Mike Harris tells of seven tricks that will help ensure your filter collection is used to its full potential

- Mike Harris

The Mission – Make the most of your filter collection with these tips and tricks

Time – N/A

Skill level – Intermediate

Kit needed – Filters – Tripod

If you’ve mastered your exposure settings and are looking to take your photography to the next level, consider investing in a few filters. These thin sheets of glass or resin are typically placed in front of a lens in order to manipulate rays of light before they reach the camera’s sensor. Unsurprisingly, this can affect image quality, so if you intend to use filters often, it’s worth investing in a decent set.

The most commonly used filters are neutral density (ND), graduated neutral density (ND grad) and polarizers. ND filters block varying degrees of light to lengthen exposures, ND grads are dark at the top and clear at the bottom to balance bright skies and the ground below, and polarizers block polarized light, which reduces glare and boosts blue skies. You’ll find all manner of other filters out there too including mist, infrared and sunset filters, to name but a few.