Sophisticated lenses, cameras of the latest model, light with full control of the color palette - what photographers don’t buy for perfect photos! Nowadays they talk a lot about a variety of equipment, but for some reason they forget about simple and reliable things. Today we'll talk about filters !
They don't break the bank and are pleasing to the eye: filters are one of the most useful photo accessories. It is these transparent pieces of glass that give a tangible visual effect and give the image a cinematic feel. No presets or sliders in Photoshop can do what the right light can do.
Today we got our review of Walkingway filters . Yes, what kind! These are 2 Soft filters and 3 legendary Black Pro Mist. The latter are most often used in films. Black Pro Mist smoothes and evens out light and shadow patterns, and creates soft areolas on luminous objects. The picture becomes pleasant and balanced.
We tested all 5 filters and are ready to talk about each of them:
Slim Soft Filter
Before we begin, let's make a small remark. Walkingway is a young Chinese brand that specializes in light filters. They have a very pleasant pricing policy, and you can buy something for the camera even with a small budget.
We ordered the filters through AliExpress and didn't have high hopes for them. The pictures themselves will show you how wrong we were. In terms of price-quality ratio: this is a definite wow effect. And from an image point of view, it is a worthy analogue of expensive filters and is even 10 times cheaper.
Slim Soft Filter I is a lightweight soft filter that is well suited for portraits. It smooths out skin unevenness and adds romance to the look.
First of all, I was pleased with the level of software. This filter has not too strong, but pleasant and subtle blur. Simply the perfect combination for standard portrait photography. It is well suited as a filter for every day; correct blur is ideal for wedding photography, love stories, landscapes. With a certain artistic idea, it can be a soft street or even a reportage.
Photo: Slim Soft Filter I
The main disease of soft films is blur and loss of sharpness. The footage shows that this filter has no problems. The photo is sharp, the texture of the model’s skin is clearly visible, while the pleasant softness and artistic haze only decorate the frame.
Photo: Slim Soft Filter I
Slim Soft Filter II
We go up one step and the effect is much more noticeable . Slim Soft Filter II gives a fairly strong blur, and the photo becomes stylized. A dense, but very pleasing to the eye haze appears.
Photo: Slim Soft Filter II
At the same time, there is no feeling of fuzziness or unclearness of the image, the frame simply becomes softer. If the effect works as intended, it looks very harmonious.
Photo: Slim Soft Filter II
This soft filter is not as universal as the previous one, but it is truly indispensable for certain artistic tasks. If you like the “soft shot” technique, you like to shoot in retro style, stylize frames like dreams or science fiction, you should take it. Few filters can boast the combination of strong blur while maintaining subject clarity.
Black Pro Mist
Slightly smoothing the photo, removing grain, softening the contrast, smoothing out the skin and throwing a pleasant haze over everything that glows sounds like a checklist for the whole film crew. However, one Black Pro Mist can handle all these tasks.
Black Pro Mist is a diffuse filter that, without exaggeration, makes the picture look cinematic. A slight transition from light to shadow will minimize retouching of portraits, and the glow will make the frame magical. A favorite filter for filmmakers and a new product for most photographers, let’s check out what it can do!
Black Pro Mist 1/8
Black Pro Mist 1/8 is the lightest of the filters, but the effect is already noticeable. Luminous objects stop being knocked out and a small halo is created around them. The glow is not very significant, but the object in the frame looks much nicer.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/8
As for portraits: there should be smoothing of light-and-shadow transitions! In this photo there was a reflector to the right of the model. However, it did not work 100%, there was only one light source and the reflector gave back only what it was able to “catch”. That is, the line between light and shadow on the face was quite clear. With the filter, the difference in brightness is still clearly visible, but look how smooth the transition is in most areas. The characteristic and necessary shadows remained in place, and rough transitions smoothed out and became less noticeable.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/8
Black Pro Mist 1/4
With Black Pro Mist 1/4, the soft glow and halos are already much more visible. The candles in the frame begin to play. The picture becomes noticeably more artistic. A pleasant softness appears, but more delicate than with the same software.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/4
Portraits become balanced, and light areas look neater due to the glow effect. For example, this backing blue on the hair looks unobtrusive and at the same time is an important light accent.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/4
1/4 seemed to us to be confidently average. Quite a strong, but not exaggerated glow, soft work with highlighting on the model’s face, slight smoothing. All these bonuses can be adjusted when composing the frame. If you want more glow, work with contrast and backlight; if you want less, move luminous objects to light areas or place them against the background of the model.
Black Pro Mist 1/2
The strongest of all, Black Pro Mist 1/2 really packs a punch. It’s as if we immediately find ourselves in some kind of movie. At an open aperture, a noticeable nebula appears along with a solid glow. And overall the frame becomes more stylized.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/2
This portrait clearly shows how the luminous area of objects increases. Warm illumination begins to draw on an independent light source in the frame. If you know how to play with lighting effects correctly, you can achieve incredible shots!
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/2
When you use Black Pro Mist filters for the first time, it’s hard to believe that such effects can be achieved on the go. The image improves before our eyes, and the shooting is carried out in a completely different way. Glow helps you focus on lighting effects; you want to work with lighting, play with it, experiment, adjust and perfect the lighting on the model’s face.
Photo: Black Pro Mist 1/2
1/2 will be interesting for lovers of the play of light. If you understand light, you will find a way to shoot a frame with both a strong filter effect and, on the contrary, artificially dim it. The filter does not work as a preset, which gives approximately the same blur and glow. This is a flexible tool in skillful hands, which, with effort, will produce the result you need.
conclusions
These filters are not so much a magic wand for results, but a creative tool for growth. With Black Pro Mist, a photo shoot becomes an interesting and enjoyable process, and each shutter release is a new experiment with light in the frame. Soft filters are indispensable as standard accessories for portrait photography, or again as an aid for specific creative projects.
Some tips for Black Pro Mist:
1. More glow
Light halos are most noticeable against a contrasting background. In our case, the glow is best seen with a dark background. If you'll be shooting in colored light, also experiment with contrasting backgrounds. The red lantern has a dark green wall, the yellow lamp has a blue dress. This can be not only a game with light, but also an experiment with colors. Try different things and the result will surprise you
2. More glare
These filters work magic on glare. Place your model in front of a background with lots of glowing objects. It could be a highway, a New Year's decoration with garlands, or glass skyscrapers. A light filter will make these sources soft and add glow, making the frame more interesting and effective.
3. Backlight
The strongest effect appears with a powerful background. Don't be afraid to place a huge spotlight or a bright window right behind the model. This object will no longer dazzle and distract; the filter will make it an additional source of light and add a magical glow to the frame
The original Black Pro Mist is produced by Tiffen; the price tag for such glass ranges from 10 to 20 thousand rubles. The filters from this review are at least 10 times cheaper , and the artistic effect is as close as possible to the original. Our staff is a clear confirmation of this.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by Walkingway filters. Photographers are accustomed to working with European equipment and are still distrustful of products from the Middle Kingdom. However, in vain! The Chinese photo market is becoming more competitive every day, and some products from there are simply a real discovery. Just 5 years ago, no one would have thought that we would write a review of high-quality Chinese software and Black Pro Mist. But today this is reality.
We are happy to discover interesting and affordable equipment. Test new products and share what’s worthwhile with you. We hope our review was useful and you discovered something new. Buy cool equipment and enjoy successful staff!