My favorite photographic lens filter is the star. There are a couple brands on the market, Cokin and Tiffen come to mind. A star filter will take a single point of light and create a star effect. The single point of light could be a candle flame, a bright spot on a shiny surface or even a light at nighttime. It is a great way to enhance a photo by accentuating the light spot giving it a glimmering glamorous look.
The flat optical filter has lines etched in it that diffracts the light from the light source along the lines in the filter. The number of lines etched in the filter determines how many points or rays of light will show in the photo. The filter can be rotated changing the position of the light rays. The filters can also be stacked on top of each other for even more creativity. But be careful too many rays of light can be distracting in the photo. The goal is to enhance the photo not make it look like a UFO landing.
The first example is without a filter, the second has a four pointed star filter.
Once only available for single lens reflex (SLR) cameras filters are now available for point and shoot cameras. One of the new styles has a magnetic frame in two different sizes that fits right over the camera lens. The other style mounts a frame into the tripod socket in the base of the camera and positions the filter in front of the lens.
A star filter will let a little more of your creativity come out. I have used the star filter to highlight the flame on the candles of a birthday cake. And with my family obsession with their vehicles a freshly washed and waxed car has great shiny spots that look fabulous with a star filter.