Filters for B & W Shoot


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I have an outdoor wedding shoot coming up & I intend to shoot in b & w. What coloured filter(s) are recommended for b & w photos? What effects does a C. Polarizer have on b & w photos?
 

Hmmm , you will need orange, yellow, green and red. But you oso need to understand their usage under different condition .. eg using red filter to shoot red flower, end result flower will appears white .... etc

I have not been shooting B&W for more than 10 years ... :(

Last time I used to attach either yellow or orange fliter and shoot all the way ... ;)
 

KNIGHT ONG said:
Hmmm , you will need orange, yellow, green and red. But you oso need to understand their usage under different condition .. eg using red filter to shoot red flower, end result flower will appears white .... etc

I have not been shooting B&W for more than 10 years ... :(

Last time I used to attach either yellow or orange fliter and shoot all the way ... ;)

Which is a fool-proof filter to use for wedding shoots/portraits? Cos I'm not too sure what the couple is wearing yet. If I were to use a wrong filter for b & w, will the contrast of photos turn out terrible? eg using an orange filter when there are no orange subjects in the photo
 

vivientan said:
Which is a fool-proof filter to use for wedding shoots/portraits? Cos I'm not too sure what the couple is wearing yet. If I were to use a wrong filter for b & w, will the contrast of photos turn out terrible? eg using an orange filter when there are no orange subjects in the photo

Doesn't work that way... subjects which are close in the colour chart to orange would also be affected, as well as subjects opposite in the colour chart.

A polariser would have a similiar effect to a red filter in that in would darken skies and give you a bit more contrast, as well as the usual reflection eliminating uses.

A yellow filter is my 'normal' filter for shooting b and w. The May 2004 issue of Practical Photography suggests a green filter when shooting portraits to render skin and lips a more natural tone.

An additional issue which I don't know the answer to is if you can still get pure white (bride's gown) with a red or green filter slapped over your lens.
 

Yellow filter absorbs both blue and ultraviolet light so that the skies will appear darker in B&W.

Orange filter is slightly stronger than the yellow filter, it subtracts green as well as blue and ultraviolet.

Red is the highest contrast filter, subtracts all colour except RED.

Green filters subtract red, blue and let through green and yellow. A good choice for general purpose and gives skin a more natural tone, good for portraiture.

Hope the above helps ...

P/S: As I said earlier, most of the time I will have either orange or yellow fixed to my lens.
 

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