Category: Photography

There are several filters that are useful for landscape photography. These filters can dramatically enhance the photo's ambience. Therefore they are good to have within the photographer's arsenal.

Polariser or polarising filter .

A polarising filter is used to remove reflections from reflective surfaces and deepens the color of the sky. The polarising effect of the filter only allows light to enter the lens in a specific direction. It makes for bluer and darker skys by eliminating the reflection of light coming from tiny water droplets present in the atmosphere.

A polarising filter should not be used together with other types of filters . The coatings and filtration caused by other types of filters such as UV filter can reduce the effect generated by the polarising filter.

Polariser

 

Neutral Density (ND) Graduated Filter

This filter helps to reduce the contrast between light and dark areas of the scenery. In this filter, one half of it is of neutral density which transitions into the other half which is clear. This characteristic of the filter can be employed to bring an overly-bright part of a scene into the acceptable dynamic range of the sensor within the camera. See the two images below for a better understanding of how a Neutral Density Graduated filter can brighten up otherwise dark regions of the photo.

Without ND Grad filter

With ND Grad filter (Gimp simulated)

 

Colored Graduated Filter A warm coloured graduated filter can add warmth to the foreground of scenes and yet at the same time keep the sky color unaffected. Basically, the clear portion of the filter must face the sky, while the warm tinted part corresponds to the landscape. This should give a warm mood to the composition. On the other hand, a blue-coloured graduated filter can be used to make the sky bluer, while retaining the original colours of the landscape. The picture on the right shows a photo enhanced by blue graduation on the top half.

Warm-up filter

This filter addresses the issue of blue cast. These are usually 81 series filters. The good thing about them is that they can reduce and eliminate blue colour cast that may occur in sunny or overcast conditions.

Well, in a nutshell, this is some of the filters useful for landscape photography. Certainly, it is not an exhaustive list as the techniques for landscape photography can be very wide.

Thank you for reading.