I can’t imagine photographing landscapes without using a polarizer. I used a Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer which not only reduced image contrast and created snappier colours, it added extra warmth to the scene with its built-in warming filter. Petroglyphs on Signal Hill as a sunset fades in the eastern sky
MAKE SHADE 14 OUT OF POLARIZER HOW TO
To really understand when and how to use a polarizer refer to my recent post Seven Rules for Effectively Using a Polarizer. I almost always have a polarizer on my lens when doing outdoor photography. In short, a polarizer usually gives you much more pleasing images than photos recorded without the filter. By removing the reflective highlights (glare) everywhere in the scene, the polarizer effectively reduces the contrast range and enriches the colours.
MAKE SHADE 14 OUT OF POLARIZER SOFTWARE
The glare reducing effect of a polarizer can’t be duplicated in any software – period. “One of the easiest ways to make better nature photos is to use a polarizer. The Polarizer Controls Contrast Over The Entire Image Let’s take a close look at how polarizers and ND grads help tame the contrast in landscape and nature photography. Plus, I know I got what I wanted while I’m still at the location. That gives me more time in the field to take photos. When possible, I prefer this last method because it gives me high quality in-camera images and requires little post-processing effort. “The fourth option is to use the two types of filters - polarizers and graduated neutral density filters - that enable us to control the contrast in a scene to get the correctly exposed image in-camera. This latter practice often works well but it’s time intensive. The third solution is to make numerous exposures of the scene to record detail in the shadow, highlight and midtone areas, and then blend these exposures together in post-processing. The second option is to add light to the shadow areas using fill flash or a reflector - but this solution is not too practical when shooting grand scenics. The first is to return to the scene when the light is lower in contrast - much like that on a cloudy day (but that will also change the character of the light). There are several options available to photographers to help reduce the contrast range of light in such scenes. The range of brightness between shadows and highlights is usually so extreme that neither is recorded with detail on the sensor. “In nature, the contrast range of a scene is often beyond what can be recorded successfully on the sensor. “To me, there are two types of filters that are truly essential to outdoor and nature photography, and these are the filters that help us control lighting contrast in a scene,” says Darwin. Now Darwin discusses the essential filters for controlling the luminance or contrast range of digital images and offers us his perspective based on his own methods, experience and equipment. His stories featured on this blog have become a trusted reference source for many visitors. Each time award-winning photographer and author Darwin Wiggett writes about filters, he is sharing his own years of successful experience. Originally posted in March, 2010, this article from Darwin Wiggett contains some truly fundamental information about using filters for photographers to learn or review.