Which camera filters are most useful for landscapes, sunsets, waterfalls, and daylight shooting?
Asked 7/15/2010
3 views
2 answers
0
I currently use a UV filter on one lens and circular polarizers on some others. Beyond basic protection, which types of filters are actually useful for specific subjects or situations? For example, what would you use for sunsets, waterfalls, scenes with water, bright daylight, or high-contrast landscapes? I’d also like to know if there are other practical filter options worth considering.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
11
I have recently begun to make much broader use of filters in my work. Even with a digital camera, filters are a powerful tool that can greatly expand the range of things you can do with a camera. Here are some of the filters I use
- Multicoated Circular Polarizer
- I use this most of the time for landscape photography. It helps mitigate highlights and bring out detail. Great for improving shots involving water, and can help balance contrast a bit when a bright sky is in the frame.
- Graduated ND filter
- Essential when you are taking photographs with a high range of contrast. This is particularly common during sunrise/sunset hours, where the sky can be more than half a dozen stops brighter than the landscape. I try to keep a .6 (2 stop) and .9 (3 stop) soft and hard ND grad with me at all times.
- ND filters
- Solid ND filters are excellent when you wish to lengthen your exposure time. Many shots can benefit from a reduction in detail in certain things. This includes the noisy ripples on the surface of a lake, or the puffy detail in clouds. Stacking a few ND filters (or using a high-stop filter like the Lee 10-stop 'Big Stopper') can allow you to greatly lengthen your exposure times, and smooth out noisy detail that is detracting from your shot.
- If you are a DSLR user, many modern digital sensors are sensitive to infrared light. IR photography has become a growing field of photography. An IR filter is another useful tool if you wish to do IR photography, as it filters out all visible light (it literally looks solid black to the human eye), while letting in only infrared wavelengths.
As a digital SLR user, I have not had much need for warming or cooling filters, as white balance can easily be adjusted in post processing. However, if you are an SLR user, warming (and possibly cooling...may depend on your personal style) filters are also an excellent tool to have in ones photography toolbelt. I highly recommend looking into Lee Filters...excellent quality, and one set of filters can be used on a wide range of lenses with their custom mounts.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For the situations you listed, the most commonly useful filters are:
- circular polarizer: Very useful around water and for many landscape scenes. It helps reduce reflections/highlights and can improve detail and contrast, especially in bright daylight.
- graduated ND filter: Best for high-contrast scenes where the sky is much brighter than the land, such as sunrises, sunsets, beaches, and many landscape shots. It helps balance exposure between sky and foreground.
- color correction filter (such as blue): Can be helpful when shooting under tungsten lighting, since it shifts the light balance and may improve the blue channel capture.
A UV filter is mostly used for protection rather than for a strong creative effect.
For waterfalls specifically, a polarizer is often useful because it controls glare on wet surfaces and water. A graduated ND is more situation-dependent, mainly if the sky is much brighter than the scene.
So in practice: use a polarizer for water and general landscapes, a graduated ND for sunsets/sunrises and contrast-heavy scenes, and consider color correction filters only for specific lighting conditions like tungsten.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI16y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Which filters are most useful for snowy mountain landscape photography?
If you can buy only one ND filter, which strength is the most versatile?
What do UV, circular polarizer, and fluorescent (FLD) filters actually do?
Do I need a UV filter for lens protection, and are some brands better than others?
Do I need a UV or protective filter on an expensive lens, and is a premium one worth it?