3 Lens Filters Every Landscape and Outdoor Photographer Should Keep in Their Bag

Oct 02, 2023

If you shoot outdoors on the regular, these lens filters are a must-have.

When working outdoors without the benefit of a planned studio setup, a photographer must be more reactive in capturing the perfect shot than proactive in planning it. As an outdoor photographer, you are very much at the whim of nature.

A good lens filter can mean the difference between capturing the perfect shot or missing it due to imperfect lighting. Keeping these three basic lens filters close at hand can help you take better shots faster in the outdoors.

You can think about an ND filter as sunglasses for your camera lens. A neutral density filter blocks a set amount of light from entering your camera, allowing you more control over the aperture (or f-stop) of your lens. There are a number of reasons for an outdoor or landscape photographer to want that level of control.

Blocking some of the light entering the camera allows the photographer to open their aperture wider, which in turn shortens the depth of field. This can help macro photographers capture that perfect close-up shot of a flower or an insect, for example, with the often sought-after buttery smooth Bokeh effect.

Without a strong enough ND filter, opening the aperture wide enough to create the effect we see in the example above would allow too much light in and overexpose the image.

Let's say for example that you're hoping to capture a photograph of a lake on a bright sunny day, but you quickly find that if you properly expose the lake, the sky is too bright. Or the opposite; properly exposing the sky to show the details of clouds leaves the bottom of your shot, the lake, and the trees underexposed and muddy with shadow.

Using an ND filter can alleviate that issue by darkening the sky while leaving the ground untouched.

A static ND filter is, just like it sounds, static. Coming in various levels, called stops, each stop reduces the incoming light by a set amount. A variable ND filter, on the other hand, is adjustable. By rotating a ring, the photographer can darken or lighten the ND filter within a specified range.

Static filters are more common. They are lighter and are generally considered to be of higher quality. In order to increase the filter strength, however, the photographer must either replace the filter with a stronger one, or stack filters on top of one another.

That's where the variable ND filter becomes convenient for photographers who are working outdoors. Variable filters, especially more inexpensive ones, have their weaknesses, such as potential color aberration when the light is entering from a particular angle. But the convenience and speed they offer in quickly adapting to changing natural lighting conditions offsets their weakness.

The discussion of polarized light is a much more technical subject than we'll get into here, but you can see our deep dive into polarizing filters for more information. Suffice it to say, a CPL works by only allowing light that is traveling at a specific angle to enter the lens.

This is far more easily understood by example rather than explanation. In the photo below, the CPL has allowed in the light from the objects under the water, while filtering out the glare from the reflections on the water's surface.

There are a number of reasons for an outdoor photographer to make use of a CPL. Some of the more common are:

UV filters are among the oldest filters used in photography. Film was particularly susceptible to ultraviolet light in a way that digital camera sensors today aren't. UV light can mess with the clarity of film, decreasing contrast and introducing a haze effect that we can't see with the naked eye.

Digital cameras almost universally have some level of UV protection built in, lessening the effect, however, they remain popular with outdoor and landscape photographers for a couple of reasons.

Much like the CPL filter, a side effect of the UV filter is a slight darkening of the colors in a photo. Removing the ultraviolet haze makes the colors more vibrant, similar to a CPL.

Also, an inexpensive UV filter can be an outdoor photographer's best insurance; protecting their expensive lenses from scratches, dust, and other environmental hazards that nature can (and will) throw at them. Which is why most outdoor photographers still carry them around.

An inexpensive addition to the regular maintenance and care of your lens is crucial. Especially as most lenses are now usually the most expensive part of any photographer's kit.

Outdoor photography, whether it's landscape, vehicle, macro, or sports, is often a study of quick thinking. The ability to recognize the perfect shot, adjust your camera, and capture it before nature takes it away.

Beyond the techniques, such as knowing about the exposure triangle, having a few time-saving lens filters that can be quickly applied and adjust to changing conditions is invaluable when time is of the essence.

Paul has trained as a video editor for the past five years in between his work as a writer, news reporter, photographer and voice talent at his local radio station before moving on to other endeavors.Experienced in DaVinci Resolve for the past three years, and the Adobe Creative Suite for more than a decade, Paul nevertheless spends the bulk of his time and expertise working with various Open Source tools such as Kdenlive, Scribus, GIMP and LibreOffice.