Outdoor Photography How To

There are lots of photo filters you can use for landscape photography, but landscape pro Mark Denney thinks there's only one that qualifies as a "must have" filter to bring with you out in the field.

"You have square filters, rectangular and circular filters, graduated and solid ND filters and so on and so forth, but at the end of the day there's really only one that I consider 'must have' for my landscape photography," Denney says. "Over the years I've purchased many 'essential' filters, well at least what I thought were the 'essential' filters, but over time I've realized that there's really only one that I reach into my bag for on a consistent basis."

In the below video he discusses what he considers to be the only indispensable filter to bring with him when shooting landscapes. Spoiler alert: it's the circular polarizer! Watch below to understand why he thinks it's so essential.

"I travel to an incredible waterfall deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in this episode and discuss some tips and best practices along with things to avoid when using this essential filter and how it can and will improve your outdoor and landscape photography," Denney notes. "And be sure to stick around till the end of the video as NiSi was kind enough to provide one of these essential filters as the winning prize for the giveaway!"

After you watch the clip below, check out his YouTube channel for more great tutorials and recommendations. You should also check out this story by Shutterbug's Jon Sienkiewicz that will teach you everything you've ever want to know about polarizer filters but were afraid to ask.