Filter facts
Q What are the essential lens filters to own for landscape photography? Ruth Merryl
A
It’s a good question, Ruth, because shooting raw and being able to process your image has changed the type of filters that are essential, as opposed to being just useful or simply nice to have. I certainly carry far fewer with me now.
The filters I still think are must-haves are a polarising filter and some kind of straight neutral-density filter. That’s because some of what they do cannot be replicated in post-processing. For example, a polarising filter can potentially used to remove reflections and reduce unwanted glare, as well as reduce exposure. A neutral-density filter can be used to reduce exposure at various levels depending on its specific strength, although it should be noted you can get variable NDs, which are essential for video work with a DSLR. A popular straight ND could be a 10-stopper that allows for long-exposure images even in normal daylight conditions.
I also like to carry a few ND grads with me, to help balance the exposure between land and sky. With the advancement of raw processing, it’s relatively easy to replicate their effect at the computer, but I still believe that doing it at the time you take the photo is good practice and can save messing about later – although of course I do use HDR techniques and the Graduated Filter in Lightroom, too. Most keen landscapers carry a collection of circular and rectangular filters, plus holders to ensure that all eventualities are catered for. ND filter Group Test: see page 126