Hey, look—another filter!! The Moment 82mm CineFlare Blue Streak Filter isn’t another density or diffusion filter, nooooo, this is a creative filter that distorts light!

Creative filters, like this simple streak filter, open up a world of possibility by enhancing your image in the moment instead of in post, an approach I‘ve come to embrace the more I experiment with the idea of “What can I put in front of a lens to make this look better?” instead of “What can I add after to make it not boring?”

I was able to use this filter to achieve an in-camera effect that a lot of photographers would add in editing, and I had the benefit of seeing how it’d look in real time. This filter’s 360-degree rotation range lets you manipulate the direction of the streaks in the moment so that you get exactly what you want. I saw the best results with intense light, but what impressed me the most is that the filter didn’t get in the way when there wasn’t enough light (or when the stage lights weren’t pointed at me, or when I was in the shade under a tree).

With this filter, you can have light streaks that look like they are part of the moment without the hassle of editing them into your shots. And if there’s a solid chance you’ll get results in the moment that are just as good—if not better—than someone else could get in post, and with fewer steps, it’s at least worth giving this filter a shot.

August 2022