Filfter fun

I have three filters (besides a UV filter that is always on any lens I use) that were originally made for black and white photography to add or change contrast by blocking and letting in select color waves. For example, if I were to take a picture of the sky with black and white film using a red filter, the filter would make the sky look darker because the filter would absorb blue and green waves (filters lighten their own colors and darken their complimentary colors. Color Scheme Designer 3 shows a color wheel and an option that shows complimentary colors. It's fun to play with and is fun to use when planing color schemes. This website also gives an example of what a black and white photo looks like with different color filters).

Enough technical stuff. Though I do think knowledge of how color filters works is important, the main point I want to make here is that filters can be used in many ways. I use filters a lot with color film and digital, not just black and white. There is nothing complicated with using them in color because what you see is what you get (rather than blocking colors, everything looks more red, green, or yellow depending on what filter you use.)

Yellow No. 15; Red No. 25

Green No. 11

Some filters are also much stronger than others, like the red filter show above. It made my backyard look like it was on fire!

And this photo was take with a yellow filter for a fun affect. As you can see it isn't as strong as the red filter:

And for this photo I used a yellow and green filter together:

I'm hoping more to encourage experimentation. Cover your lens with crumpled saran wrap or color gels. Take a portrait of your cat with a purple filter. Use things that are generally used for something else and have fun!

p.s. I'm taking a Sunday break and will be back on Monday.

Yellow shades - the new black and white

This was a very happy day for me. There is definitely a connection between the use of the yellow filter and my mood, especially for this set of photos which conveys the memory of the sun, the afternoon, and my best friend. I didn't take a picture of him. Everything is in the lighting, shade, shapes, and warmth. In a way, this seems corny, but I can feel friendship from these pictures. For everyone else without this background knowledge, they're nature or perspective photos. Usually when I see a photographers work, and there are no visible people in the photos, I assume that artist was alone. A lot is missed from outside the frame when the viewer is forced into a composed perception.

The Meadow

This is during that awkward time between winter and spring where everything is beautiful and full of sunshine, but still fairly cold and crisp in 2008. This is also a time where I began to develop and obsession with the yellow filter and the macro. At first I used them separately because the idea did not occur to me to combine them. The day I did combine in the meadow was the day that I became love affair with both - either separately or together - because of these two photos of sap.