Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

What type of filter provides increased color saturation and contrast?

1. UV filter

2. Polarizer

3. Warming filter

4. FLD filter

The correct answer is: Polarizer

A polarizer filter is designed to reduce glare and reflections from surfaces, such as water and glass, which enhances the overall clarity and color saturation of the images. When you use a polarizer, it can significantly improve the contrast in the sky, making clouds pop and enhancing the blues of the sky while also enriching the greens of foliage and landscapes. This is particularly useful in landscape photography, where vivid colors can make the scene more dynamic and appealing. In contrast, other filters listed serve different purposes. A UV filter mainly protects the lens and historically helped with haze, but it does not impact color saturation or contrast directly. A warming filter adds a warm tone to images but does not necessarily increase saturation or contrast significantly. Similarly, an FLD filter is specifically designed to correct color cast from fluorescent lighting and may not enhance saturation in general photography. Thus, the polarizer stands out as the filter that effectively increases color saturation and contrast.