This weeks’ video was another trip into my camera bag to show the photography filters I use to help me create my landscape photos. Enhancing your landscape photography is easy when you learn to use the tools like filters to help you create the vision you want with your photography. Maybe I am a bit weird about it, but I like to attempt to capture my scenes in camera so the post processing is a little easier, or at least less cumbersome.

The interesting thing about filters is that like all accessories in photography there are going to be HUNDREDS if not thousands of filters, mounts and options that is absolutely overwhelming to comprehend. Luckily through this week’s video and maybe through this blog I can help you narrow down what you legitimately want or need to accomplish your goal. So before you go running to the Internet or your local camera shoppe to unload your wallet let's go into some further detail on what filters you will need to help enhance your photography.

The two types of filter mounts I had covered come down to one particular feature. They screw onto the front of the lens. It is the most universal way to attach accessories to your camera right behind the hotshoe on your camera. So the attachment method is really going to be similar between platforms, the difference is going to be obviously the ring sizes of the filter or adapter ring screwing onto your lens. So the screw on filter will give you the advantage of being able to pop a filter on quickly and easily, but then the filter holder will give you the opportunity to stack filters. Most filter holders will give you 2 to 3 slots to slide a filter into it.

So the first of the two types of filters that I use are the Neutral Density filter. Think of it like a tinted window for your camera. Since it reduces the light entering your lens and camera it gives you the chance to gain more control of how you make your image. By adding a Neutral Density filter you can use a longer shutter and allow it to see the scene for longer. Being able to leave the shutter open longer you can show motion in your scene, or use a wider aperture to create a shallower depth of field to blur your background more. That blurrier background can help add depth and even some emotion to your image depending on how you utilize it.

Following up with the second filter type that I use is the polarizing filter. The advantage of using polarizers gives you the chance to help reduce your reflections, but also increase your color saturation. This works by changing how the the light waves travel through your lens into the camera. Wait… what?! Changing light waves? Yes, changing light waves. Think of light waves traveling through space, you’ll have peaks and valleys in a North/South orientation, and then other peaks and valleys in an East/West orientation. Those light waves can be allowed or blocked by the polarizer by changing which orientation of light waves are allowed to reach your sensor. That is how the reflections are enhanced, or reduced in your image with the polarizer. Sorry for the geeky science bit… but hopefully it helps understand how and why they work to help you create your images.

I hope that helps you on making decisions on which filters you want to try out and experiment with. Be sure to check out the video that accompanies this post on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@jamesvooghtphotography and make sure to get out and capture some great photos!

Be sure to "Like" and "Follow" on Social Media!

Follow me on Instagram!

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel!

Like me on Facebook!