Two Filters You Need for Landscape Photography

I'm always getting asked about which filters are needed for landscape photography. There are so many options out there, from UV filters all the way to warming filters. To be honest, most filters aren't relevant anymore for digital photography, but I think that every landscape photographer should have the following two filters: a polarizing filter and a neutral density (ND) filter.

These two filters allow me to control reflections, manage brightness, and take creative long exposure photos. In this article, I'll explain what each filter does, my suggestions on where and how to use each one, and why you can skip the graduated neutral density filter.

Before we start, let's talk about UV filters since they’re a common source of confusion.

UV Filters

Photographers ask me about one filter more than any other, even though it has no creative effect whatsoever: the UV filter. While it’s designed to block ultraviolet light, you won’t see any difference in your photos. Its real purpose is simple and practical: protecting your lens.

Blocking UV mattered a bit in the film era, but with digital cameras it’s completely irrelevant. What UV filters do well is shield the front element from scratches, dust, smudges, or damage if you drop your lens or bump it into something. This leads to an oddly persistent debate: some photographers recommend UV filters on every lens for protection, while others say don't use them at all, claiming they degrade image quality and get in the way when stacking other filters.

After 20+ years as a pro, and after seeing more lenses dropped than I care to admit, the choice seems pretty straightforward. A UV filter can definitely take the hit instead of your lens. And the image quality argument doesn't hold much water in my opinion: you’d be hard-pressed to see any difference in your photos with or without a UV filter. I can't believe the number of times I've heard anti-UV filter photographers say something like "Why would you put a $20 filter in front of a $2000 lens?" to which I would respond, "Why would you prefer to smash a $2000 lens instead of a $20 filter?"

That said, I don’t use them, but not for any compelling reason. I just prefer having one less thing to deal with, and my wide-angle work often means I'd have to remove the UV filter whenever I use another filter to avoid vignetting caused by stacking filters. So buy them if they make you feel better, or skip them if they don’t. Either way works. But to answer the unspoken question: yes, I've smashed at least one lens that probably would have been saved if I had a UV filter on it. So, even though I don't personally use them, I would never tell someone else not to use them.

There are two filters, however, that are a must have for landscape photos, which is what I'll discuss next.

Polarizing Filters

Polarizing filters are mainly used to reduce glare and reflections from non-metallic surfaces like wet rocks, foliage, and water. Personally, I reach for my polarizer whenever I'm photographing waterfalls, streams, or forest scenes (especially when the foliage is wet). I don't really use them for anything else, as they either don't have any effect at all, or they have a bad effect (more on that below).

There are two common types of polarizing filters: linear and circular. No, this doesn't mean the filters are shaped differently! A circular polarizer can be circular or square. Linear vs. circular refers to the way the light is polarized. If you're using an older DSLR camera, this is important to note because a linear polarizer may interfere with your camera's metering and autofocus. You won't experience the same issues with a circular polarizer. Most mirrorless cameras work fine with either, but just in case, you should probably stick with a circular polarizer.

How does a polarizer work? It's really simple: every polarizer filter is designed to rotate. As you rotate the polarizer, you'll see something called a "polarization effect," which is a removal of reflection or glare. All you need to do is spin the filter until you find a position that removes as much glare as possible.

The polarization effect is strongest when the filter is pointed at an angle that is 90 degrees from the source of light. When the primary light source is the sun, then things are easy: to get the maximum benefit from the polarizer, put the sun on your left or right. You'll see less of an effect (or no effect at all) if the sun is directly in front of or behind you. Things are a bit trickier when photographing on overcast days, as the sun is diffused by the clouds and the entire sky essentially becomes the source of light in the scene. A polarizer will still have a strong effect, but since the glare will be coming from the entire sky, you might not be able to remove all of the glare in the scene.

One thing you should never do is use a polarizer to darken a blue sky, especially with a wide-angle lens. Because of the wide field of view of wide-angle lenses, the left side of the sky will be at a different angle from the sun than the right side, which leads to uneven polarization of the sky. The result is that one side of the sky will look noticeably diferent from the other. This is incredibly difficult to correct when processing an image. It's better to skip the polarizer, and if you want a darker blue sky, simply darken the blues when processing the image (in Lightroom, you can do this using the Color Mixer panel).

Because of the wide-angle uneven polarization effect, some photographers recommend never using a polarizer with wide lenses, but this is incorrect advice. It shows up very obviously with a blue sky, but it isn't going to be a problem if you're photographing a forest or waterfall scene with a polarizer. You won't be able to remove all of the glare, but just spin the filter until you remove as much glare as you can, and you'll still see a positive effect, even with ultra-wide lenses.

You can also use a polarizer filter to make rainbows look more vibrant, but you have to be careful because a rainbow is (more or less) a reflection in the sky (actually, it's a refraction, not a reflection, but both are affected by a polarizer filter in similar ways). As you spin the polarizer, you will make the rainbow disappear, which is definitely NOT what you want! Keep spinning until the rainbow reappears, and when it looks its strongest, stop spinning. The polarizer filter will actually make the rainbow appear stronger than without the filter.

Note that polarizers also block some of the light coming into the lens, typically by one or two stops (I use a polarizer made by Breakthrough Photography that only blocks one stop of light, which is advantageous when working in low light). If I forgot my neutral density filter (see below) or if my ND filter is too strong, then I will sometimes use my polarizer to lengthen my exposure times; the effect is subtle, but sometimes it's just what I need.

Neutral Density (ND) Filters

An ND filter reduces the amount of light entering your lens without changing the scene's colors. You can think of these filters as sunglasses for your camera! I often use an ND filter on coasts when conditions are too bright for me to get the half-second or longer exposures that I prefer to capture wave action. You can also use ND filters more generally for creative long exposure photography.

ND filters come in different strengths that are measured in stops of light reduction. A 3-stop ND filter is great for slightly slowing motion in moving water, while a 6-stop filter offers more flexibility in moderate light. A 10-stop filter will allow you to create long exposure photos in full daylight.

There are also fixed-strength ND filters and variable ND filters. Variable NDs use two polarizing elements to let you dial in the exact amount of light reduction. They're convenient, but they can also create glitches in the form of uneven exposure or color shifts.

As for me, I use a 6-stop filter made by Breakthrough Photography. I find that a 3-stop filter is often not enough, and the 10-stop filter is usually too much. Since I'm trying to minimize what I carry with me, having a single 6-stop filter is a nice compromise. If the 6-stop isn't quite right, I can easily adjust my aperture and/or ISO to get the light levels perfect for the exposure time I want. I don't recommend a 10-stop filter unless you plan on doing long exposure photography in the middle of the day.

The Filter That You DON'T Need

Before the days of advanced exposure blending, a graduated (grad) ND filter was essential for balancing exposure between a bright sky and a darker landscape. Basically, a grad filter is darker on the top and clear on the bottom, with a gradual transition between the two extremes. Landscape photographers often used these filters to prevent blown out highlights in the sky, or to better reveal detail in the shadowed landscape below. But, they could be tricky to use, as anything sticking up into the sky (like trees or mountains) would end up getting darkened as well.

Today, you can achieve much better results with the help of exposure blending and HDR techniques in the digital darkroom, or even just by relying on the expansive dynamic range offered by modern digital cameras (simply expose to protect the highlights in the sky and boost your shadow values when processing the photo). This is why I don't recommend using this filter anymore; simply put, you just don't need grads, and your photos will look better without them.

What About Other Filters?

There are a bunch of other filters out there, but most of them aren't really relevant in the digital age. For example, so-called "enhancing" filters are designed to boost contrast and color saturation, but these effects can easily be reproduced when processing the image. Likewise, color correction filters aren't needed as you can just as easily change your white balance.

The effects caused by using polarizer or neutral density filters, however, are difficult or impossible to reproduce in the digital darkroom (although some cameras allow you to take a bunch of shorter exposures and blend them together in camera, simulating a longer exposure effect). That's why you still need them, but you can ignore most of the other filters.

Conclusion

Filters can enhance your creative vision and make your photoshoots easier. For me, the polarizing and neutral density filters are the only two that I rely on for serious landscape work.

For years, I’ve trusted Breakthrough Filters for both my polarizers and ND filters. Their exceptional optical quality and rugged construction mean I can completely focus on taking photos. This is why I partner with them as a sponsor of this site, and I highly recommend their products.

What’s your favorite scene to photograph using filters? Let me know in the comments!