The 77 mm PolarPro Shortstache Everyday 1/4 I bought earlier has become one of my favourite filters for image character. I love the softer lights, the appearance of reflections and, especially, the colours. Then there is the bloom: the way bright light spreads around its source and the feeling it leaves in the image. In my own words, it is absolutely phenomenal.
That enthusiasm extends beyond video. I get beautiful colours and photographs with it too. I particularly enjoy its effect in outdoor strobist shoots with flash, the appearance of daytime sun in the background, sparkling clothes and jewellery. To explain Shortstache properly, I want to describe both its construction and how well it fits my visual language.
My model: Everyday 1/4, 77 mm
The filter I own is the Everyday 1/4. Developed by PolarPro with Garrett King, known as Shortstache, it combines 1/4 Black Mist with Chroma polarisation. The Mist-PL 1/2 in the same series offers stronger diffusion; the experience I describe here is with Everyday 1/4. PolarPro explains the model distinction on its official product page.
The 77 mm measurement refers to the lens filter thread. The 1/4 designation describes diffusion strength, rather than the number of stops of light reduction associated with an ND filter. Everyday's mist effect is fixed, while its polarisation can be adjusted with the rotating ring to suit the frame.
Having both effects in one filter is part of its appeal for me. I can adjust the appearance of reflections while keeping the highlight glow I enjoy in the image.
Bloom: my favourite detail
I really enjoy the softer appearance of lights. In particular, the bloom around bright areas gives the image a character that catches my attention immediately. A glint becomes more than a small, hard point; it develops a softer relationship with the area around it.
Black Mist diffusion influences how bright light spreads within the image. PolarPro associates the black particles in the glass with maintaining dark tones and colour depth in the shadows. The manufacturer explains the construction in its Shortstache FAQ.
For me, that technical description finds its meaning in the pleasure I get from looking at the image. I love the glow around lights and the feeling it creates together with the colours. Bloom is one of the main reasons I enjoy this filter so much.
Its appearance changes with the light in the scene. That makes it a creative choice: which light glows in the frame, and how much space that glow occupies, both matter to the result.
Colour, film grain and a light cinematic grade
I especially like the colours from Shortstache Everyday 1/4. When I add film grain and a light cinematic colour grade to the footage or photograph, the result fits my own way of working beautifully. That combination gives me the character I am looking for.
There are two distinct stages here. The filter contributes its mist and polarisation effects during capture. I add the grain texture and colour adjustments afterwards. The feeling of bloom around light and the texture that grain brings to the image work very well together.
For me, a cinematic look comes from the relationship between light, colour and texture. When I start with an Everyday image I enjoy and make a light colour adjustment, those elements speak the same language. I am very happy with the results.
In photography as well as video
I do not think of this filter only in terms of video. I love the look created by bloom and colour in moving images, and I enjoy its effect just as much in photographs. Seeing that light character in a single frame is a pleasure too.
In photography, I particularly like the way colours and bright details come together. A filter's value to me includes more than its contribution to moving images. I also want to enjoy working with the photograph when I open it. Everyday 1/4 gives me results I like on both sides.
I therefore see photography and video as two forms of the visual language I use. The filter finding a place in both makes it feel well suited to my work.
Daytime sun and outdoor strobist shoots
I really like the Shortstache effect in outdoor strobist sessions using flash. Even in daytime, the sun in the background looks beautiful. In these images, where I bring artificial and ambient light together, the result fits the visual character I want very well.
There is an important difference for me between a sunny background remaining simply a bright area and becoming an element that gives the frame character. What I enjoy in my Everyday images is how that relationship looks. I get the same pleasure from the aesthetic in my flash photographs.
This experience reminds me to consider a mist filter beyond night lights. A daytime frame with sun and flash together can also make room for the image character I love.
Sparkling clothes and jewellery
I also love the filter's effect when photographing sparkling clothing. The appearance of bright details combines with bloom around the light to produce beautiful images. In fashion photography, a material's response to light is already a meaningful part of the picture; how that response looks matters to me.
I feel similarly about jewellery photography. I really enjoy the effect around small, bright details. With subjects like these, sparkle becomes an element of the image in its own right. The results I get with Everyday 1/4 bring that sparkle closer to the visual language I enjoy.
What I am describing here is the aesthetic I like in my own photographs. I find the relationship between light, colour and material in the same image beautiful.
Polarisation and using a VND
Everyday's Chroma polariser helps control reflections on surfaces such as water and glass at suitable angles. It is worth watching the frame while rotating the ring: the angles of the light and the surface affect the result. I am pleased with the appearance of reflections too. Alongside mist, that is the second part of the filter's character.
The variable ND discussed in my Helix VND 2–5 article reduces the amount of light. PolarPro does not recommend stacking Shortstache with a separate VND, because the polarising elements can interfere with each other. I consider the two products for different needs.
The Vivid filter set for Mavic 4 Pro combines ND and polarisation. With Everyday 1/4, the combination I enjoy is mist and polarisation. Each influences the image through a different choice.
Its place in my visual language
My reasons for loving Everyday 1/4 are clear: colour, bloom and softer lights. When I add grain texture and a light cinematic grade afterwards, the image fits my own approach beautifully. I enjoy seeing that character in photography, video, daytime strobist shoots and sparkling details.
After reading a filter's technical description, its real meaning emerges in your own images. Shortstache Everyday 1/4 has made a strong impression on me. I really love the images I am getting.
Product photographs and collection logo: PolarPro's official website.
