Filter fun

Image: Chess Board photographed using a Cokin A430 diffuser

It's amazing how bits of photographic kit can stay unused for years but then suddenly open up a new world of creative thought. That's what i've found with my Cokin filters!

I got my first filter in 1987 and really enjoyed using the few filters, i could afford as a schoolboy, to create glorious sunsets or deep blue skies. By the early 1990's though, i had just stopped using my filter collection and it remained like that right throughout my student years. Maybe i used them too much or maybe i had a change of heart about their use. I just don't know.

I do know that i started using them again when i needed to photograph a project for a client and i needed a certain soft look. A filter made it far easier to accomplish than using Photoshop and the effect looked more natural too. So get them old filters out of the bag this summer and give them a go.