Far and away, one of the best photography accessories money can buy is a high-quality polarizing filter.
I'll get into the specifics of why polarizers are so great in a minute, but for now, just know that they are a powerful tool that will help you learn how to take better landscape photos.
When it comes to landscape photography gear, I'd place a good polarizer at the top of the must-have list for landscape photographers, right along with a good tripod.
So, that being said, let's explore all the ways a polarizing filter can enhance your photos.
Polarizing Filters Reduce Glare
If you've ever photographed a landscape that involved water, you've likely run into an issue with the sun glaring off the surface of the water, rendering that part of the photo nothing but a bright blob.
But with a polarizer, that glare can be eliminated, leaving you with a gorgeous view of the entire landscape - water included.
This glare-reducing feature works on any non-metallic surface, like the wet rocks along the stream in the photos above and below.
As you can see in the image above, without a polarizer, there's noticeable glare on the rocks, but when a polarizer is used, that glare goes away.
Additionally, because polarizing filters help reduce glare, they also help the color and the texture of the landscape come through in your photos.
The result? A beautifully rich and detailed shot that reaches out and grabs people's attention!
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Polarizing Filters Enhance the Color of the Sky
If you've ever been out photographing landscapes in the middle of the day, you've probably encountered a couple of problems.
First, the sky tends to look washed out, with a baby blue appearance rather than the deep, dark blue that has so much impact.
Second, you've likely discovered that distance landscape elements - like mountains on the horizon - look a little hazy.
Fortunately, polarizing filters solve both of these problems.
If you look at the image above, you can see that it's a strong photo from a compositional standpoint, but that it lacks the impact that it could have with a polarizer.
However, when the same shot is taken again with a polarizing filter, as was done above, you can see an immediate difference.
Not only is the glare on the water greatly minimized, but you can see that there's more punch in the sky. That's especially true in the upper-left area of the shot where there's much more blue evident in the sky in the second photo.
One of the best ways to learn how to take better landscape photos is to understand how to use a polarizing filter.
And in this way, by using a polarizer, you can create images that have more dramatic and colorful skies that will grab the attention of viewers. That's especially true if you invest in a high-quality polarizer, like the HD Polarizer from NiSi.
That's because these filters are made with high definition optical glass and coating with NITTO polarizing film to get you the very best results.
Learn More:
- Graduated Neutral Density Filters vs. Solid Neutral Density Filters: Differences and When to Use Them
- Why You Need a Reverse Graduated Neutral Density Filter in Your Bag
How to Use a Polarizing Filter: Mix and Match With Other Filters
Yet another benefit of using a polarizing filter is that you can use them with other filters to get even more dramatic landscape photos.
Use a polarizer with a solid neutral density filter and get ethereal effects without any glare, like what you see in the image above.
You can also pair a polarizer with a graduated neutral density filter and a solid neutral density filter to get those same ethereal effects without glare and with a consistent exposure throughout the shot.
In other words, being able to mix and match your filters and even combine them together allows you to get the most out of your landscape photography gear to create jaw-dropping shots.
If you're wondering how to take better landscape photos, you can't go wrong with learning how to use a polarizing filter and other essential lens filters.
Learn More:
- A Complete Guide on How to Use Neutral Density Filters
- 3 Reasons Why all Landscape Photographers Need a Graduated ND Filter