A Guide to Experimental Filter-Stacking

I’m a digital photographer, if you hand me a film camera the result would be the same as if a dolphin was handed a pair of roller-skates and asked to perform a musical interpretation of magic mike XXL, no one will be able to predict the outcome.

I’m drawn to digital image creation because the more I understand my camera and the correlating hardware and software — the greater the possibility.

The following images have had no colour grading alterations made to them, I wanted to rely on my surroundings and my camera settings to highlight the colour and lighting effect I see when shooting.

The pairing of the CPL and UV Lens Filter has become my go-to set when shooting pretty much anything. The CPL filter takes away common reflective light found when shooting outdoors and captures higher contrast, staying true to the colour palette of your surroundings. I pair it with the UV Filter Plus+ to give the images that slightly cleaner and sharper look. I’d recommend this combo if you’re interested in shooting pretty much anything, but specifically for outdoor natural lit shoots.The CPL filter takes away common reflective light found when shooting outdoors and captures higher contrast, staying true to the colour palette of your surroundings. I pair it with the UV Filter Plus+ to give the images that slightly cleaner and sharper look. I’d recommend this combo if you’re interested in shooting pretty much anything, but specifically for outdoor natural lit shoots.

I shot this originally with just the Ethereal Lens Filter, but ended up pairing it with my go-to CPL to capture more of the darker undertones in this piece. The combination of the two filters is interesting, because they almost give contrasting effects, however my favourite thing about using the Ethereal lens filter is the washed out colour palette it captures.

The best way to describe this night filter is yummy. It may not be for all of your shoots but I find myself reaching for it every time I am wanting to give a contrasty colour-pop when shooting things that might need clearer definition.

I would recommend this filter if you are shooting; at night and want to capture true colour contrast without a warm undertone, or outdoors in daylight to give yourself a more unique colour palette to play with.

I think out of all the images I have captured using the Ethereal 1/4 diffusion filter, this embodies what is possible when incorporating this filter into your works.

Pastel tones, almost vivid lines, works amazing both in and outdoor shooting and almost softens the image creating a somewhat more palatable piece.

I would highly recommend this filter for euphoric like shoots, campaigns, both in studio and outdoor. This lens filter would also work super well when shooting video stuff.

Using this filter for the first time is almost as confusing as trying to spell ‘infrared’ as a dyslexic. However, this lens filter has a time and a place. You might have to approach your image with an alternative shooting style, but the effects are visually stunning. I’d recommend easing yourself into this filter, as I currently am, to see what ideas come from the visual stimulus found in the imagery. This filter captures light that isn’t visible to the eye, so thinking outside the box is encouraged.

Sunny day or got a lot of light on hand? Try playing with the settings on your camera and the distribution of light — put an Ethereal on and see what comes from it. I love the pastel colours and soft edges that come from this filter. I’d recommend using it if you're trying to capture dreamlike imagery, shoot accessories or want to take a photo of your crush.

In the process of understanding the Infrared Filter, I wanted to see what would happen if it was paired with some of my other favourite filters. Taking the soft edges provided by the Ethereal lens, dark contrasts from the CPL Filter, and paired with the infrared, you are left with an almost fuzzy, dreamlike memory, and I’m all for it. I would recommend playing around with a combination of filters when shooting. Why? Why not?