Photography Basics – Special Effects Filters
by Mickey Rountree
Back in the film days, we had no Photoshop or other programs to create special effects. Actually until the 90’s we didn’t have home computers capable of working with images. So if we wanted special effects we had to do them in camera. One way of creating special effects was to use a prism or multi-image filter. These were all the rage in the 70’s and 80’s but sort of died out after that. I came across my stash of prism filters going through an old drawer the other day and that got me thinking about how what’s old is new again, and things run in cycles. Is it time for the return of the multi-image filter? With a little research I found that there are several new companies making prism filters, and they certainly have modern price tags. You can also find older used filters on EBay much cheaper. Search for prism filter or multi-image filters and you will find several versions, both new and old.
When you first get a prism filter it’s easy to go wild with it and the effect gets old quickly. A few shots a year may be unique and interesting. Dozens of effects filters quickly become boring and they lose impact.
Here are the ones I found in my drawer. These are just quick shots to show the basic effect. There are probably better subjects for some of these filters, but you’ll get the basic idea. With any of the prism filters you can vary the effect by how close you are to your subject, the focal length of your lens (zoom lenses are very useful), and by rotating the filter. Also all of the multi images image filters produce effects that are hard if not impossible to duplicate in Photoshop (I’ve tried without much success).
When these articles are converted to PDF and sized for the newsletter, the resolution and quality of the images is seriously degraded. If you would like to read the article and see the images as I did, you can see this article on my website at this link.
https://mickeyrountree.smugmug.com/Articles/Basic-Photography-Series/
Kaleidoscopic or multi-multi image. This filter has many facets that produce a dozen or more images rotating around a single central image.
Three image or tri-prism. May also be called a 3C (for three image centered). This filter has 3 facets and produces three centered and fairly equal images.
Five image or 5R (for five images rotated) This filter has 5 facets, one central and four surrounding. It produces a central image with four outer images.
6 Image Parallel or 6P. This filter is half clear and has 5 parallel facets producing a repeating pattern that can also evoke a sense of motion.
