June weather is usually fine in Devon, England, but not last year. When I shot the story on Devon, it was rainy and overcast for 12 of the 14 days I was there. Most of the time, we can wait for conditions to improve. But when things just don't get any better, you've got to reach for anything in your bag of tricks that may help. An 85C warming filter restores sunny hues to a cloudy-day scene in the Grand Wash, a canyon in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
Photographers fall into two camps on filters.
The purists feel that putting anything between the lens and the subject is trickery. Others wouldn't dream of tripping the shutter without a filter to enhance the image. As for me, I follow the advice of a photo editor I knew who shot fashion and celebrity pictures. Here are a few of the filters that saved the day for me in Devon and countless other places in the world. These filters cut down the hazy bluishness of ultraviolet light, and protect your lens from rain, dust, grit, scratches, and fingerprints.