These are my essential tips for using camera filters for stunning landscape photos

If you’re not using filters then you’re missing out on a world of fun you could be having with your photography. There’s all sorts of weird and wonderful filters out there that can radically change your images, from star filters producing five-point star flare patterns in portraits to the best circular polarizers which can cut out scattered light for deeper blue skies and to cut down on glare.

The first thing to know is filters come in two different types – the circular type that screws directly into the front filter thread of your lens, and the square variety which requires a dedicated filter folder to be attached to the front of your lens before they can be slotted into place.

Circular screw-in filters are usually more affordable, though can be limiting if they only fit one or two of your lenses. You could end up buying duplicates of the same filter if you need to use it on many lenses, though I suggest buying the size of filter which fits your largest lens and then purchasing cheaper stepping rings to adapt the filter to your small lenses. You’ll find your lens filter thread inside the lens cap.

The other option is square filters which require a dedicated filter holder. These are more expensive but favored by many professionals as it allows multiple filters to be stacked easily. Longer rectangular graduated ND filters can be slid up and down to align them perfectly with the horizon in your landscape, too.

Square filters and holders come in different sizes, such as the LEE Seven5 system for Micro Four Thirds sensors, Cokin P for APS-C (or lenses no wider than 28mm to avoid vignetting), and 100mm filter holders from the likes of Lee, Kase and Nisi.

There are even specialist filter holders such as the Lee SW150 Mark II which are designed for lenses with a bulbous front element and therefore don’t have a front filter thread, though its larger size means its larger filters are inherently more expensive, too. In this case, it may also be worth considering lenses that have the ability to mount filters on the back of the lens or a drop in filter that magnetically clips in front of the sensor on a mirrorless body – a good solution if you don’t need to stack multiple filters together.

When working with filters, I suggest removing any existing filters you may have attached, such as a UV or protection filter, as this extra glass can degrade image quality and cause vignetting when lots of filters are stacked together.

If you’re shooting a landscape, I’d suggest attaching your filter holder and adding the polarizer first and then adjust this until the polarizer has boosted the blue sky or reduced glare to your liking.

Next, I’d add a 2-3 stop graduated ND filter (hard or soft depending on your choice) and line this up with your horizon to tame the bright highlights in the sky. Shoot in the RAW file format for extra exposure data, too. I’d have composed and focused about a third of the way into the scene at this point for great sharpness throughout, and this is important as the last step would be to add your ND filter, which, due to its ability to block light, can make it difficult to compose and autofocus once in place.

My last tip for DSLR users is to block off the viewfinder to avoid flare when shooting with very strong ND filters such as a Lee Big Stopper that reduce 10 stops of light. For long exposures use either the 2 sec timer or a remote shutter release to avoid nudging the camera as you press the shutter button. A remote shutter release cable is also useful for accessing longer exposure times than the standard 30 secs – you can use an app like the Lee Filters Stopper Exposure guide to work out how long your exposure needs to be when using a 6, 10 or 15 stop ND filter.

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