With all the fancy equipment out there there is nothing as impressive as what a little filter can do for a photo. There’s a variety of filters available including: Ultra Violet, Neutral Density, Warm, Cool, Black & White, Infrared, and on and on. The most impressive filter and best for rich landscapes is a polarizer filter, more specifically, a circular polarizer.
So what does the polarizer filter do and how do I use it?
First, it minimizes reflections on a lake or river. Second, it deepens the color in the skys, rocks and foliage. Third, it makes faded clouds pop into focus. The circular portion of the filter gives the user the control of the effect of the filter so it aligns with the scene by simply gripping the edge and rotating. There’s no right and wrong answer so experiment with the dial. Just note that a polarizer will cause a loss of light so increase your camera by one or two stops of exposure and, if possible, try to stick with a tripod due to the longer shutter speeds.