Photowalk 13 - Polarizer

I wrote about the Cokin A Filter system the other day, so when I had a couple of hours spare I headed down to Priddys Hard, which is the back of Portsmouth Harbour where it leads to Fareham Creek, and took some pics to show what they do.

A Polarizer is a filter that fits on the front of your camera to reduce glare from the Sun when you're taking landscape shots. By filtering out the harsh light reflecting off leaves, water, paths, you get more of the colour showing through - richer greens, bluer skies, less washed out images.

Polarizing filters work best when the Sun isn't overhead, and when you're standing at right angles to it, but in any situation where it's a sunny day it's worth trying your Polariser to enrich the image. You simply look through your view-finder and turn the filter until you get the best results. I find that sometimes its easier to zoom in on a tree, or a cloud, set the Polarizer, then zoom out again to take the photograph.

(Click on the images to go to Flickr to see the larger sizes.)

This first shot is a HDR as well as being taken using a Polarising Filter. As you can see there is plenty of detail in the clouds, yet the rest of the scene is also OK in the exposure sense. All these pictures have gone through post-processing in Photoshop CS3, but it gives you an idea of what you can achieve.

This isn't a HDR, but obviously I've increased the contrast and colour saturation. When you're using a Polarizer, quite a lot of light is being blocked, so it's best to use a tripod, or bump up the ISO (or open up your aperture).

This photo shows another feature of a Polarizer. Because it can reduce glare from reflections, it means you can see into and below the surface of water. It's worth experimenting with how high you are above the water, and the angle to the Sun, but it's quite amazing how the Sea just seems to "open up" on calm days.

Here we can see the "see-thru" water, and the great colours in the sky. This was a HDR (which helps), but Polarizers enhance almost all landscape photo's on sunny days. If it's overcast the effect can be negligible, and they're often not worth using because of the amount of light that's being blocked, especially if you're working hand-held.

So, as you can see, it helps to have a Polarizer in your camera kit. I tend to carry a Polarizer and a Grad - the grad works even on overcast days, but is difficult to use unless you've got a flat horizon. The Polarizer is a great tool, and remember having something like this on the end of your lens also protects it in the event of a fall.

Thanks, Rob.