PHOTOGRAPHY -8

 PHOTOGRAPHY -8

ACCESSORIES THAT ENHANCE IMAGE QUALITY

Major class of accessories that truly render quality to images pertain to FILTERS. Ironically, even some photographers engaged in moviedom do not realize that Filters are different from lenses. Some of them say” effect can be improved by adding Blue lens’ . Lenses are multicoated to ward off inherent inadequacies like flare which ruin picture clarity. So, Lenses are different from Filters.  Lenses are focus-regulating optical devices. They can help to organize the image for absolute sharpness.

But, Filters are plain glass discs optically plane parallel, free of surface defects and have uniform refractive index all over the filter area.  Thus the “BLUE LENS” loosely referred to is just a blue filter. Movies shot for night effect are ‘picturized ‘ through Blue Filters to make the scene appear bluish – a thing accepted for night by viewers.

High paid mega stars seldom work through night and the movie-maker is obliged to work out reliable strategies like using Blue Filters to simulate night. The question before the crew is –How dense should the blue filter be? There are varied densities marked 2x, 4 x, 8 x etc meaning that it would ‘dim’ the brightness by half, one fourth or one eighth etc. to make it look a deep night. Also , they would use smoke to clutter around street lights to suggest mist or fog as required. Thus, Filters are excellent tools to create ‘Make believe’  effects. Technically Density features are called  FILTER FACTORS

Other than generating effects, several filters are available to raise aspects of ‘separation’ between objects like sky and cloud masses through contrast , enhancement of hues, enhancing of details on snow mountains etc.

Sometimes too bright a Sun light may have to be subdued to suppress offensive image shadows and darkening of features like eyes in dark sockets. On such ocasions ND filters are brought into play. ND = NEUTRAL DENSITY; it means, it does not alter the colour values , though the brightness of light is suppresed. ND filters too have densities 2x, 4x and upto 16 x to handle extreme situations. 

There are several applications for filters –all meant to achieve results that would elude unless regulated while registering the image.

HAZE FILTERS

Actually, they serve to create hazy images while leaving vey clear zones leading to a heavenly bliss to the gullible viewers who ascribe it to the technicians’ mastery. Till such time it is undestood, it stays a mystery, while it is  a misery to the knowledgeable. 

To Continue…                      K.Raman