Using Black and White Filters to Improve Your Photos
In photography, you’re always looking for that extra percentage improvement in your work. One of the best ways you can quickly get this improvement is by using a black and white filter.
Those interested in black and white photography should know about the various filter options available to them. In this article, you’ll discover how to get more dramatic photos simply by changing the color of light coming into your camera.
So read on and find out which filters those are, and when and where best to use them. Now you’ll know all there is to know about the black and white filter options!
Using yellow, orange or red filters on a partially cloudy day will give you good results.
The Classic Black and White Filter Group
The workhorse filters for black and white photography are undoubtedly the red, orange and yellow filters. These filters can add more punch and drama to your scene, so let’s take a look at what they do and why they’re important.
Yellow Filter
Adding this filter to the front of your lens will add more contrast, which will lead to a more dramatic look. The main way this happens is that the yellow filter will darken the skies while keeping the clouds white. To get the most out of this you’ll need to be photographing on a partially cloudy day. The filter will also add more contrast to the foliage for your nature landscapes. Now, if you’re a cityscape photographer those darker skies will make a skyscraper building jump out of the frame more. This filter will reduce the amount of light coming into the camera, so be aware of this and compensate by increasing the exposure value if needed.
Buildings will stand out more against the sky when you use filters.
Orange Filter
You may have guessed that using orange as opposed to yellow will in effect dial up all of the effects that the yellow filter makes. Whether you want to darken those skies more is an artistic choice, but it’s always worth having an orange filter in the bag to give you that option. This filter further reduces the amount of light coming into the camera by about 1 stop.