Why would you NOT use a lens hood?

If you follow camera-related things on social media, you’ll probably have seen a recent article questioning, ‘Who the hell still uses lens hoods?’ Now, I’m not the kind of person to suggest that this title was designed to drive people to the site. It probably did generate a lot more traffic. In fairness to the author, he did acknowledge what lens hoods do but then stated that he hadn’t used one for years because of the type of photography he was doing. There are still some good reasons why using a lens hood is OK, though.

What is a lens hood designed to do?

The main reason for using a lens hood is to stop light coming in from the side of a shot. When this happens, it can create lens flare. As the author states in the original article, it can be a creative addition to an image. If you’re being paid to take a clean headshot for, say, an annual report, the client will probably not be too happy with a large flare across the shot. A lens hood can prevent the flare from appearing in this circumstance, so it’s an excellent tool to have in your bag. Sure, if you or your client wants a particular look that includes flare, pop the hood off and shoot away.

Protect your lens

My main reason for using a lens hood has absolutely nothing to do with preventing flare. During my Switch to Manual workshop, I lead groups of people through the streets of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The tourists who flood to the city every day think the same. Many of them are far more interested in the beautiful architecture than walking in a straight line. As a result, my camera is often knocked by someone not paying attention and either stopping suddenly or changing direction. The lens hood is a great tool to cushion the blow and prevent the expensive glass from getting damaged.

Add contrast

The final reason for using a lens hood is a creative one. The hood on my 70-200 RF lens is just under half the size of the actual lens and is coated in black material. Using the lens hood will do more than reverse the effect of flare. The black inside of the lens hood will help to increase contrast in your photos. Like flare can be a creative choice, contrast can be an addition to your photos.

Don’t use a lens hood all the time

I do use a lens hood, but that doesn’t mean I ALWAYS use lens hoods. There’s an obvious reason why I remove it from my camera. That’s when I’m using my lens filter systems. To my knowledge, there isn’t a single system that allows the use of graduated filters that can also be used with a hood. When I’m running my landscape workshops, the hood is off, and instead, I protect my lenses with the excellent Kase lens caps that fit over the filter ring. Most of the landscape locations are less busy than the streets of Edinburgh, so the need to protect is different.

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About the author

As well as running Edinburgh Photography Workshop, Rich Dyson is a professional photographer. His photographs are regularly used in newspapers such as The Times, Guardian and Daily Telegraph. He also had two solo exhibitions and was featured in a members-sponsored exhibition in the Scottish Parliament. You can see and buy his photography at richdysonphotography.com.