Using This Feels Wrong… Until You See What It Does

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High Res Images & Free raw download - http://alexarmitage.com/blog/2025/4/1...

Filter Suggestions:
Maven Magnetic Glow Filters (My recommendation) - https://mavenfilters.com/product/show...
Kase Magentic Black Mist Filters - https://geni.us/KaseMistFilters
NiSi Black Mist Filters - https://geni.us/NiSIMistFilters
PolarPro Black Mist Filters - https://geni.us/PolarProMists
K&F Magnetic Black Mist Filters - https://geni.us/KFMistFilters

Glow filters (aka black mist or bloom filters) are nothing new in photography yet I feel like I don’t see them talked about very much in the space of nature photography. I suspect this is likely because the majority of people in that space are very technical and want to capture images in the flattest, purest ways possible. I must admit it feels a little wrong to put something in front of my lens that, for all intents and purposes, slightly reduces the sharpness and “pure” quality of the images I’m capturing.

Is that such a bad thing though in today’s world of pristine images? Something I’ve noticed in myself over the past couple years is focusing less on needing to capture the perfect image and instead how to create something that feels artistic. That feels a bit less about my technical ability and more about the story I have to tell. In doing so I’ve felt like in many ways the technology in photography is spoiling, it almost feels too easy. Thus the idea of bringing a bit of life back into my images has felt refreshing. In some ways i’ve been doing this for years by reducing clarity in my images to make them feel a bit less digital.

Recently I’ve been experimenting with these glow filters made by Maven, specifically their 1/4 and 1/2 intensity variants in a bunch of scenarios. Below I have some high res examples of using the filters in different lighting conditions. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to practice with these to learn how they effect your images. Sometimes I can’t even tell they are on my camera, other times they make the highlights bloom like a 1980’s soap opera.

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Music (Typically) from Musicbed:
https://fm.pxf.io/c/3300666/1347628/1...

0:00
1:33 What is a Glow or Black Mist Filter?
3:51 Can You Create the Same Effect in Editing?
6:58 Angle of Light Matters
7:50 A Great Tool in Your Photography Tool Kit
10:37 My Recommended Filters
12:12 When Not to Use These Filters
13:30 View Images in Higher Resolution