Complementary Filters And Wide-angle Underwater Photography

If you've been shooting with a digital camera for any period of time and been online then you've probably heard the rave reviews about the Magic Filter developed by Dr. Alex Mustard and Peter Rowlands. This is a filter that goes on (or behind) the lens and is used to filter out "undesirable" light, allowing more vibrant color to reach the camera's sensor, and ultimately to be recorded. The magic filter builds on principles that were thoroughly explained in an article here on Wetpixel by Craig Jones back in 2003 called "Filters and Ambient Light Photography." Craig took the concept a step further when he started experimenting with complementary filters, going beyond ambient light photography. To simply explain: a filter is used on the camera lens to reject undesirable ambient light and a complementary filter is used on the strobe, to allow foreground lighting to be used but to appear natural. For example, if you take a photo in a dark room using the complementary filter set, the shot will appear "normal."...