How to use a Polarizing filter
By far my favourite and the single most useful filter for travel photography is a Polarizing filter.
By using a Polarizing filter you can dramatically improve your landscape photography. In simple terms a Polarizing filter will darken blue skies, remove reflections and increase the colour and saturation of your photographs. To understand out a polarizing filter works you will have to understand physics of light which I far to complicated to brother about!! Basically a polarizing filter will cut though tropical glare and haze which is why it is so useful for travel photographers and you really don't have to be a professional to use one.
Features of the polarizing filter
|
Feature |
What happens |
|
Skies |
By cutting out tropical glare skies will be more saturated and darker. |
|
Water |
By eliminating reflections water will be more transparent. |
|
Reflective surfaces such as glass |
Reflection will disappear. If shooting though a shop window you will have no reflections. |
|
Colour enhancement |
By reducing reflection on things such as plants the colours will intensify and look much more vivid. Also with the absence of glare and haze colours will again intensify |
Choosing the right polarizing filter.
There are two types of Polarizing filters, Circular and Linear. Photographically there is no different but they work with the cameras auto focus in different ways. For a SLR or DSLR you will need to get a circular polarizing lens as a posed to a Linear. This is because virtually all SLR and DSLR cameras are auto focus and a circular filter will work with the auto focus.
Make sure you know the size of the diameter of your lens before buying a filter. There are lots of different brands and qualities of filter. I use Hoya and have no problems, I find them to be very good.
Polarizing filters are not cheap filters to if you have lots of lens you might want to only buy a filter for one of your lens. Its a good idea to buy a polarizing filter for the lens you use most for landscape or out side photography.
How to use a polarizing filter.
The circular filter with screw on to the end of your lens. When you have set up your shot and got it into focus you can rotate the end. You will see though the view finder the impact that it has on your image. You will see the colours and reflections in your image change, when you are happy with the effect simply take the photograph.
The best way to see the effects in your photograph is to have the sun 90º to you. Have the sun to your side, not behind you or in front of you.
Remember that I would not advise using your polarizing filter on an over cast day or when the light is very low. It would be like if you were to wear your sunglasses indoors. The filter will cut down on the light getting to the image sensor.
The effect of the polarizing filter changes from situation to situation. The effect may not be so visible in some situations but on a very sunny day the effects can be quite amazing!!
I can remember the first time I used a polarizing filter in Laos. I was so impressed with the effects I was addicted to the polarizing filter for life! Enjoy!
Abby x
