Photographic Jewellery

Whenever I get asked about which gizmos and gadgets I typically carry in the ol’ camera bag,  my thoughts immediately turn to something photographer and tv presenter Chris Packham once said in his 1991 tv series, Wild Shots.

He referred to things like special effects filters as ‘photographic jewellery’… and in so doing, made a very good point. Now don’t get me (or him) wrong – there’s a time and a place for filters of all kinds…

But what Chris was getting at is that many enthusiast photographers (as well as many professionals) are all too quick to throw their hard-earned cash at such things, thinking that using them will enable the creation of superbly striking and original pictures. Whilst this may harbour a degree of truth, these little pieces of glass or resin should not be seen as picture-saving devices. The use of filters should be a very thoughtful and selective process; they should be employed sparingly.

So what do the pros use? Well, it’s not unusual for a photographer to carry about set of coloured graduates and a polarizer as standard. Aside from these… well… that’s a matter of personal preference.

I’m not a big fan of filters. That is to say, I don’t use them a lot. My set of grads has remained in its storage box for many years, and the polarizer only sees the light of day when I have specific images in mind for a particular shoot. And before you say it, no I don’t turn to Photoshop instead (come on, people, this is me we’re talking about!).

I’ve had a lot of discussion with a number of people via Twitter and Facebook and in the ‘real world’ in the past week or so who, through no fault of their own necessarily, are under the impression that owning multiple filters, gizmos and gadgets is somehow a prerequisit to being a great photographer.

It’s a curious thing, and I suppose this has a lot to do with the forces which drive the consumer photography market; the advertisers who push a message home so thoroughly that people start to believe it – they do a great job! I find this very frustrating, and I truely feel sorry those people who are all-too-quick to part with their cash.

So here’s my parting message. As ever, get to know your camera. Get to know how light changes colour, mood, contrast and skin tones before you go spending. There is so much you can do in-camera, so many effects which can be acheived without the use of a stack of fancy add-ons. Learn your craft through trial and error, see what works and what doesn’t.

You never know, the results just might take you completely by surprise.

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Technique