A number of months back I purchased for myself a circular polarizing filter.  All the research I’ve done seems to indicate that a landscape photographer just can’t live without one.   “What does it do?", you may be asking yourself.  Well, simply put, it is used to reduce glare or reflected light from surfaces that are not metal.  Here are a few situations where a circular polarizing filter would come in handy. . .

A polarizing filter will reduce or eliminate glare from water droplets in the sky, consiquently making the sky darker and the clouds more distinct.  These filters also work best when you shoot at a 90 degree angle from the sun.  They are pretty much ineffective if the sun is either directly in front of you or directly behind you.

As mentioned earlier, polarizing filters reduce the glare off of water, which in turn makes it more transparent.  If you are photographing a river or a stream and would like to see rocks or other objects under the water, a polarizing filter would work well.  Also, if you are photographing foliage after it has rained, a polarizing filter will help to reduce the glare and saturate the colors.