Recommended filters for baby/children shoots?

I am pretty new to photography and have a 5DM3 and a EF 24-70mm and want to shoot some baby/children photos outdoors. I have access to a Lee Foundation Kit, though no filters. Can anyone recommend some filters that might create some fun, playful, and cute color effects?

Thanks.

None. Do it in post if you have to. Learn to light and pose people first. No amount of filters will cover for poor lighting or posing.

Basically my answer is no. Why I say that, you would have so much more artistic control doing that in your post processing.

Only thing I might even try in that type of shoot close to using a filter for fun effects would be to try the trick of putting a cutout of a shape on the lens so that the bokeh takes on the shape of the cutout.

I have never tried it personally, but it does sound like what you are looking for.

The only time I have ever used filters for shooting people was back when I shot B&W film. Other than maybe needing a polarizer I can't see where one would be much help in that field.

Thanks for the replies and my apologies for my ignorance.

It seemed to me that it would make more sense to create color corrections in Light Room or Photoshop, so this leaves me wondering. What then is the point of using filters and something like the Lee Foundation Kit? What types of filters are useful for outdoor shoots? Again, pardon my ignorance.

southwestform wrote in post #17454290
Thanks for the replies and my apologies for my ignorance.

It seemed to me that it would make more sense to create color corrections in Light Room or Photoshop, so this leaves me wondering. What then is the point of using filters and something like the Lee Foundation Kit? What types of filters are useful for outdoor shoots? Again, pardon my ignorance.

In Black and White photography filters were very commonly used. If you wanted a particular color darker you used a filter to make that color darker. That allowed you to manipulate an image to have better contrast. That use was one of the most common uses for filters. If someone loves using B&W they still may use filters to accomplish that, but now you can pretty much do the same with post processing.

The common filters nowadays are Polarized Filters and Neutral Density Filters. The Polarizers cut down on glare and can be used to darken a bright sky in the background of a photo. It does that by cutting down on light coming from different angles (without getting technical.) They also allow you to see better though a window or the surface of water if there is a glare on the surface. The Neural Density filter basically darkens the image so that you can use a lower aperture or longer speed. There are also neutral density filters that darken just part of the photo. These are used when there is a bright part of the photo, usually the sky, and a darker part of the photo one would want exposed brighter.

There are other filters I am sure, but those are the common ones. Both of these are most commonly used for other types of photography other than taking photos of kids.

Figured there was a Sticky on Filters. This should give you a much better explanation that I am capable of giving you. Check this out -= THE FILTER FAQ =-

In digital photography these kinds of filters are generally useful in landscape, travel and architectural photos:

• Polarizing filters to darken the sky and reduce reflections off water, glass and other shiny objects.
  
• Neutral density filters to reduce the amount of light going through the lens, so you can maintain wide aperture and slow shutter speed in bright light
  
• Gradient neutral density filters to darken one part (e.g., bright sky) of scene while leaving the other part unaffected
  
• Gradient color filters (primarily blue, red, orange, pink) to selectively change part of an image (such as enhancing the color of sky or sunset).

bumpintheroad wrote in post #17454454
Also, many people use a clear filter (e.g., UV filter) for lens protection, but many others don't believe in them because of the potential to degrade image quality.

When photographing people it is better to capture the best original quality you can and then make any adjustments in post processing.

With the advent of digital processing, fewer filters are used, since their effects can be replicated with software, and as mentioned above, you have the original file preserved to do what-ever you want with. Personally, that is why I cannot see the benefit of shooting in B&W only or choosing one of the "film types" offered in the menus of some cameras. These things can be done with software later. I can liken it to shooting RAW, where you have the original "digital negative" to do as you please with!