Filters USA - Photography Terms & Glossary

Glossary Of Photography Terms [1]

Filters Filters in photography are optical accessories placed in front of a camera lens to modify or enhance the appearance of an image by altering the characteristics of light entering the lens. Filters come in various types and configurations, including screw-on filters, drop-in filters, and square or rectangular filter systems.

Common types of filters include UV (ultraviolet) filters, which protect the lens from dust, moisture, and scratches while reducing haze and UV radiation; polarizing filters, which reduce glare and reflections and enhance color saturation and contrast; neutral density (ND) filters, which reduce the amount of light entering the lens, allowing for longer exposure times or wider apertures in bright conditions; and color filters, which alter the color balance or tone of the image by selectively transmitting certain wavelengths of light while blocking others. Filters are valuable tools for photographers to control exposure, manipulate light, and achieve desired visual effects in their images.