Landscapes are the stage where endless majestic works of nature become protagonists. On many occasions, the curves, the colors, the rhythms and the lights and their contrasts are combined in a scene that is worthy of being portrayed, but in others, not all of these factors are always aligned so that you can capture that unique moment .
In landscape photography, the modeling of ambient light is much more complicated than in other photographic disciplines, so, so that you can add even greater spectacularity to your photographs, you must let the filters go into action.
The filters must stop being a mere accessory to become a fundamental tool.
How? Reading the following article.
WHY USE FILTERS?
An excellent way to master your raw material (light) in landscape photography is through the use of filters that allow you to model it to your liking when taking photographs.
At present, with the advance of computer tools and thanks to the possibility of working directly on the computer with digital negatives (RAW) as if you were doing it at the time of taking, the use of filters in landscape photography has lost some ground
Now, are you a photographer or an editor?
While it is true that neither of the two options is exclusive of the other, few things are more satisfactory for the lover of photography such as obtaining a photo, the closest to the final photograph, at the instant after pressing the shutter. It is in your camera, as an extension of your ideas where the magic happens and, although the contributions that the editing tools have given to photography are invaluable, the ideal is that you spend more time in front of your camera than the computer.
By using filters in landscape photography, you will not only take your knowledge to the limit, acquiring new photo-by-photo, but also, the technical quality when taking the photographs ends up being translated as the resulting photographs. It is a process of continuous improvement that forms a virtuous circle: experience, knowledge, quality.
In addition, there are certain effects that are impossible to achieve on the computer without altering the essence of the original photograph but which, with the use of a filter, are possible without even clicking.
And while quality filters are not cheap, get one of them, it will be a great investment.
Having a photograph as similar to the final photograph obtained directly from your camera and without having to retouch it later on the computer is a pleasure difficult to explain. Try it!
The magic is in your hands.
THE USE OF FILTERS IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
While there are many types of filters available in the market for you to use in each of your photographs, below you will see those that are mostly used in landscape photography:
Polarizing filter
Polarizing filters are used in landscape photography to increase contrasts, saturate colors and also to reduce reflections that occur, for example, on the surface of a lake when photographed.
This type of filters is ideal for when you want to highlight, for example, the contrast between clouds and sky, or between sky and earth, although most landscape photographers use them mainly to eliminate reflections from non-surface surfaces. Metallic like lakes, rivers, drops, or any other type of surface that reflects light.
The question that you are surely asking yourself is: Why ask me when I can correct the photos on the computer?
While it is true that the level of contrast or saturation in your photographs can be processed easily on your computer if you shoot in RAW or digital negative mode , removing brightness or increasing transparency will be very complicated.
Important: the maximum polarization effect is obtained when the light that falls on the scene does so laterally, that is, at 90 degrees. If you use this type of filters when the sun is in front of or behind you, you will not see any effect.
Keep in mind that, to achieve a correct measurement and exposure , you must take into account that the polarizing filters “darken” the scene, that is, they take approximately 2 diaphragms away because they absorb the light that is reflected to the sensor and attenuate it little bit.
Above: no filter. Bottom: with polarizing filter.The neutral gradient filter
This type of filters is very popular among landscape photographers since it allows compensating the contrasts between the very light areas such as the sky and the very dark ones such as the earth. How? The glass of this type of filters is divided into two halves: a dark part that degrades until it joins with the other that is completely transparent. In this way, it is possible to balance the exposure in the shot without leaning towards light or dark tones.
You can find this type of filters in two versions: square and round. Square glass filters require that you place a filter holder in front of the lens to hold them. The round filters are screwed directly on the lens and although they may seem more practical, they are actually much less versatile and the gradient will be fixed, unlike the squares that you can adjust in height according to how you are framing your photographs .
These types of filters are ideal to achieve spectacular effects both on the ground and in the sky of your photographs intensifying the colors, degrading the tones and allowing to obtain amazing exposures impossible to achieve otherwise. They are excellent for transmitting and reinforcing the messages and sensations of your landscape photographs.
The gradient of these can not only be neutral, but also, you can find them in different colors. Have you ever wondered how they get those pink skies in the sunsets? There are certain phenomena that do not occur naturally but are induced by photographers using filters, for example, pink or blue gradient so as to add more spectacularity to the photographs.
In addition, the gradients in each of the filters are not equal, so the compositional possibilities multiply.
Gradient filter pink.Neutral density filter
Neutral density or ND filters are responsible for converting the silky effect into your photographs of rivers and seas . These types of filters are widely used in situations where the movement of water or clouds can, through long exposure, make you an extremely attractive silk or mist.
How does it work? The glass of these filters is made in a neutral gray tone so it does not affect the color of the photographs but what it does is “remove light” from the environment, that is, it obscures the scene without affecting the colors present in it. This decrease in the “amount of light” that reaches the sensor is what allows, through a long exposure , to achieve such attractive effects.
In conditions of excessive light, it would be impossible for you to make a long exposure without one of these filters since, even if you minimize the ISO sensitivity and close the diaphragm as much as possible, it is unlikely that you can achieve shutter speeds so slow for obtain said effect (shutter speeds lower than 20 seconds).
The photographs taken with a neutral density filter are not only limited to the photography of rivers and seas, since you can also use it for almost any reason. The really important thing is that, whatever the reason you choose, it is enhanced by that effect. Try to photograph clouds, people, the movement of trees, etc., you will be surprised at the results you can obtain and the sensations that your photos will be able to convey.
I recommend that, so that you can get the most out of using this filter, take 5 minutes to read the following article: “ How to get the silky effect on your river pictures? "
While the quality of the crystals that you are going to put in front of your objective should be the best possible, that does not mean that you cannot innovate a bit and make yourself some homemade filters that allow you to obtain surprising results. Do you want to know how? Reading the following article: “ Bricofotografía: How to Mount Home Photographic Accessories ”.
Silky effect in your photographs of rivers and seas.Ultra violet filter
Ultra Violet (UV) or Skylight filters, as the name implies, are filters that were designed to absorb ultraviolet times although the common photographers use them constantly placed on their lenses, not to achieve any effect but to protect the front lenses of bumps and scratches.
You probably also use it for the same purpose, although I recommend that you do not. Thanks to the new technologies introduced in the manufacture of lenses, the front lenses are protected with a protective bath that protects them from dust and scratches. It is not necessary to place a filter in front of your lens, since more than protection, what it really will do is to reduce the quality of your photographs (any glass placed in front of a lens will take this sharpness away).
What you really need to protect your lens is its lens cover and be careful. Anyway, if you have suffered an accident or want to know how to act before them, I recommend that you take a look at the following guide: " The Complete Guide: Cleaning Tips for SLR Cameras ".
In any case, the use of an ultra violet filter is recommended if you plan to go to the top of a mountain where the incidence of these rays is much higher. So that these do not alter your photographs.
You can also use them to achieve stunning fog photographs . How? Once the UV filter is placed on your lens, flush it using mist or petroleum jelly. In this way, with a little practice, you can emulate a thick and overwhelming fog. In this case, the UV filter will be very useful to avoid moistening the front lens of your lens for protection.
Photograph taken with an ultra violet filter.
The filters I just told you are not the only ones. There are a large number and variety of these available in the market for you to experience when taking your landscape photographs.
The use of filters in photography in general and especially in the landscape discipline is a great field for experimentation. Dare to take your imagination to the limit! You will be surprised at what your mind is capable of.
