But as I’ve grown more confident with manual exposure and camera settings, I’ve started feeling the pull to experiment with accessories more than ever. Since I’ve been shooting regularly with my Fujifilm GFX these past few months, I’ve noticed something: the images are sharp. Like, really sharp — almost too sharp. In certain situations, that hyper-real clarity can feel a bit cold or clinical. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when it fits the mood. But for portraits or those one-off shoots where you want the image to feel softer, more like a memory, I found myself craving something to take the edge off.
I’m no stranger to Moment’s CineBloom filters (I was part of the original campaign back in September 2020), so when the team told me they were working on a CineBloom VND, a hybrid diffusion and variable ND filter, I was definitely intrigued. Still, since I’d never used a VND, I wasn’t sure this was going to be a fit for my style of photography. My task was to take the filters out in the wild and report back with feedback. Honestly, I didn’t expect much. But I ended up loving it way more than I thought I would.
Not only does the CineBloom diffusion knock down that harsh digital crispness that mirrorless cameras tend to bring, but the VND function gave me way more control over my exposure to the harsh Arizona sun. Out here, we get bright, cloudless skies almost daily, so having that extra stop or two of help is key.