Final answer:
To make a photo look like a watercolor painting, a photographer should use digital filters or photo-editing techniques rather than a polarizing filter, which is used to reduce glare, not to alter the painterly qualities of an image.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a photographer captured a scenic landscape and wanted it to look like a watercolor painting, they should consider using post-processing software that has filter options designed to replicate the effect of watercolor paintings.
In traditional photography, a polarizing filter is beneficial for reducing glare from surfaces like water and snow, but it does not transform a photo to look like a painting.
To achieve a watercolor effect, the photographer would use digital filters or photo-editing techniques that mimic the light, color, and texture characteristics of watercolor.
This can include transforming the texture of the image to resemble the paper used in watercolor painting and adjusting the colors to replicate the luminosity and transparency typical of watercolor paints.
Atmospheric perspective and careful control of contrast are other techniques that can be applied to enhance the watercolor-like appearance.
By lightening and graying elements in the background, simulating the wet-in-wet painting technique where colors flow into each other, and using brush-stroke filters, a photographer can create an image that truly resembles a watercolor artwork.