Filters special Shoot incredible landscapes!

Ask almost any landscape photographer and they will tell you one of the most – if not the most – important factors to improve your photography and creativity is the use of filters. I remember the day, many years ago, when I was first introduced to the groundbreaking world of NDs, grads and polarizers.

My images improved tenfold almost overnight. It wasn’t only the effects these filters had on my photographs, either. Once I actually had the ability to control light in-camera I started to better understand light and how the correct conditions could be harnessed and utilized to drastically improve my creativity with my landscape photography.

To those photographers looking to start using filters, it can seem a little daunting with so many different filter types and designs on offer from a range of brands. How exactly does each type of filter affect your image and how do you know which are the right filters for you? The effect filters have on your images can be quite subtle at times to the untrained eye and, whilst this makes things harder to spot, this is also part of the point; the majority of filters used by professionals are designed to be subtle and enhance conditions, rather than completely alter them.

None of this makes things any easier for those looking to invest in a filter system, so here we present an in-depth guide to all things filters, from the more common polarizers and NDs to more specialist mist and infrared filters…

FILTER TYPES

Filters come in two main formats, round filters that screw into the filter thread of your lens, and square/rectangular slot-in filters that attach via a holder. Each has their pros and cons. One of the main reasons to use threaded filters is to protect the glass front element of your lens; far better to pick up a scratch on a replaceable filter than on the lens itself.

The downside to screw-in filters is that they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. If you have lenses of different diameters you need to purchase separate filters for each lens. This isn’t such