Lens filters alter the way a camera uses available light and change the resulting picture's look. Photographers use them for a variety of effects, such as softening hard edges, reducing glare, creating blur and darkening a horizon. Filters have their benefits, but they should be used with caution because they can also ruin a perfect snapshot. A photographer should also consider that filters differ by manufacturer, and effects can vary accordingly.
Instructions
Evaluating the Landscape
1. Evaluate the landscape you are shooting and the available light. Different filters are needed to capture a waterfall at midday with the sun overhead and waves crashing on a beach at sunset. A static landscape uses different filters than a scene with people or animals in motion.
2. Select a linear or circular polarizer filter to reduce glare from water and other surfaces. Much like polarizing sunglasses, such a filter will also darken the sky and enhance the colors of foliage, rocks and other subjects in your landscape. Keep an eye through your viewfinder as you turn the filter and stop when the desired effect is reached.
3. Choose a neutral density filter for long time exposures. This smooths water movement in waterfalls and waves. It also softens pictures and causes blur if you want a sense of motion in your picture.
4. Use a graduated neutral density filter, sometimes called a "split filter," when shooting dramatic differences in light, such as sunsets. These blend the brilliance of the sun with the darker landscape beneath it. Decide whether the scene needs a gradual or abrupt blending and pick the appropriate shade of split filter.
5. Try a cooling or warming filter to either cast a strange color on a scene or correct the white balance. This is handy for a picture taken with only orange light cast from street lamps. Add warmth to a gloomy picture on a cloudy day.
Tags: available light, density filter, neutral density, neutral density filter, split filter