3 of the most common filters

In photography you can get lots of different equipment for your photographs which enhances them in every possible way such as filters and especially if you know when to use them. Heres a guide of what certain filters do and examples of when you would use them and the outcome. None of these photographs are mine because i don't own any filters therefore i can't show you my images.

Neutral Density Filter (ND);

ND filters are used a lot for landscape photographers. However they tend to be less appreciated by photographers just starting out because they think its hard to use them or due to the fact at a first glance, they're simply a plain, grey bit of glass! That grey bit of glass is actually very handy as they don't affect the image that the camera captures but very slightly slows down the amount of time it takes for the sensor to record the image. Although you're probably thinking what? why? There is a very good explanation... the reason why they are slightly grey is because they are mostly used for scenes that are moving such as water, clouds, or even people. Freeze a waterfall with a regular shutter speed and it looks static and dull but using an ND filter will capture the water as a blur and convey a sense of movement. When using an ND filter all you need to do is use a tripod and have a long shutter speed and you will be just fine! 

Before and after a ND filter was used.

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/07/05/how-and-when-to-use-nd-filters-and-what-the-numbers-mean/ 

UV filter;

Ultra Violet filters are transparent filters that block ultra-violet light, in order to reduce the haziness that is obvious in some daylight photography; UV filters don’t affect the majority of visible light, so they are a perfect form of lens protection and they will not alter your exposure. These can be used as an everyday filter especially when its very sunny!

http://www.exposureguide.com/lens-filters.htm 

Polarizing Filter;

A Polarizing filter can be used to darken overly light skies as it increases the contrast between clouds and the sky. Like the UV filter, the Polarizer reduces atmospheric haze, but also reduces reflected sunlight. The most typical function of a Polarizer is to remove reflections from water and glass. The Polarizer eliminates the reflection when shooting through a glass window or into water; There are two types of polarizers: linear and circular. Both types of polarizers produce a similar effect, except the circular polarizer eliminates unwanted reflected light with the help of a quarter-wave plate. The resulting image is free of reflected light, and transparent objects like glass are free of reflections.

http://www.exposureguide.com/lens-filters.htm