Best filters for the landscape photographer

Landscape photography depends on light. But the light isn't always quite right.

Filters can make a definite difference to the quality of your landscape photography. And compared to buying a new lens, a filter is a much lower level investment - costing around twenty quid, perhaps. Even cheaper if you can find second hand filters.

• Polarising filters are invaluable to the landscape photographer. A polarising filter will help darken the sky, and give clouds better definition. They can also help cut through haze that would otherwise soften your shot, and remove distracting reflections (for instance, in shots of brightly painted surfaces or water). If you have autofocus and auto exposure, buy a circular polariser, not a linear filter.
  
• Graduated neutral density filters are useful in situations where you have a bright sky but poorly lit landscape, for instance in a sunset shot. The graduated filter is darker on top and clear at the bottom, allowing more light to be captured from the landscape and preventing the bright sky from overexposing the shot.
• Use an ND (neutral density) filter to cut down the amount of light entering the camera. If you want to make a long exposure shot, for instance to get the effect of a waterfall or to track car lights at dusk, an ND filter can help prevent overexposure.

And now for the big tip. Remember the huge difference in price between filters and lenses? Buy a cheap weak ND filter for all your lenses, and always use the lenses with it on. If you drop the lens, or the filter gets scratched, you've lost a cheap filter - not an expensive lens.