Wedding filter

CardonaImaging · Mar 5, 2008

Can anyone offhand tell me some cool filters i can use to do a wedding? I've never really used anything other than color filters for b&w and polarizers. So i want to play around with some at my next wedding shoot. or should i not even mess with them and do all the effects in photoshop?

Garbz · Mar 6, 2008

Depends on the filter. A polariser or a YB polariser can not be faked in photoshop regardless of what people tell you. Warming filters, colour filters, fogging filters, soft focus, etc all can be faked in photoshop with a much finer control than having the filter itself.

ND filters can't be faked again but then I see no reason to use one at a wedding short of making a funky motion blur, but given that the venues are so poorly lit the same effect can be achieved with a tight aperture.

ND grad filters can be faked by taking 2 exposures, however the filter itself would negate the need for a tripod or the problem of having 2 exposures of moving subjects.

IR filters can't be done in photoshop but then again you wouldn't want one at a wedding especially with a digital camera not converted for the process. The exposure times would be insane.

I can't think of any other filter that can no be done in photoshop off hand, but some may come up with one.

Big Mike · Mar 6, 2008

When you put a filter in front of a lens...you get the effect of the filter...and that's it. When you apply similar effects in Photoshop, you can adjust and vary the effects any way and to any degree you want. Seems like a simple choice to me.

CardonaImaging · Mar 6, 2008

So Mike, you wouldnt use any filters at a wedding? is that what you're saying?

Thanks for the info GARBZ. i'll look into them.

this is nothing serious, i just want to try some new things out.

Sobek5150 · Mar 6, 2008

Yeah, Garbz pretty much laid it out there for you. I'd say you'd be fine with photoshop. Save yourself the hassle with switching filters on the special day.

cdanddvdpublisher · Mar 11, 2008

I would have to agree. I've done several weddings and I never use a filter. If you want to, get good at photoshop and you can add all the effects you want but the bride (and the bride is always right) almost always picks the clear photos that are well taken.

Big Mike · Mar 11, 2008

I sometimes use a polarizing filter when outside shooting a wedding...but that's mostly when I've got some nice blue sky that I want to darken. However, a polarizer will block some light, so for most of a wedding shoot, I leave it off.