 April Todd |
Using a Polarizing Filter Hello! I just purchased a Quantaray Circular Polarizer lense and used it today at the beach. I took one picture with it, and the sky was beautiful with so many colors, but the water and sand were really dark. Then, I took it off and took the same picture without it, and the sky didn't have nearly as much color, but the sand and water were the color they should be. I'm an amateur, so not too sure how I can get a happy medium. All I wanted to do was reduce glare, but all of my colors changed! Any help is much appreciated!
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Karim Abiali |
You should compensate for about 1 stop or so, use bracketing and compare results. Hope this helps.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
You did reduce glare. That's why the water and sand were darker.
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W. |
Hi April, Before you take the picture, take a few seconds to look carefully at the image in the viewfinder. Then slowly turn the front of the polarizing filter (keep looking through the viewfinder at the same time!) and you will effectively SEE the image change! Basically, the 'darker' the image gets (which you control by turning the front ring), the stronger the polarization effect(s): more color saturation and glare/reflection reduction. Beach, sand and sky are obvious applications for polarizers. But they are also very useful to control mirror reflections in shop windows and water (pools and ponds). Polarizers can control glare/reflection in water and glassy materials, but not on metallic surfaces.
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April Todd |
Thanks everyone! Appreciate all of your input!
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Mike Rubin |
Just a note to be careful: As you turn the outer ring of the filter, watch your sky (if it is in the shot), because you may end up with an unnatural darker corner of it compared to the rest of the sky. You want to try to get it uniform. This is probably one of the important and useful filters to own. Later on you may wnat to consider Gratuated Neutral Desnity filters (GND).
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Hans Abplanalp |
Hi April Don't forget that the effect is most pronounced at 90 degrees to the sun. There is no effect in line with the sun. Happy New Year
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Paul S. Fleming |
Hi April, To add to Hans' reply. When using a circular polarizer filter, which is an addition to your gear that every serious shooter should have, make it easy on yourself. Just remember to have the sun on your left or right shoulder and then twist the outer ring until you see what you want through the finder, then fire away. I shot the changing of the tree colors this fall and the tree leaves just popped like they were on fire using the circular polarizer filter, and I don't use Photoshop. The next filter I buy will be the GND. Have fun April, "ps"
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April Todd |
I am so happy I asked this question, all of you are so helpful! Much appreciated...
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