Polarizing Filter: The right application and where to use them.

Polarizing filters are among the fewest filters needed in digital photography. The days of lugging around a massive collection of filters to use with the film you are shooting are, well, over. Inside my camera bag I have one filter. A SunPak Polarizing Filter. I have had it since I have had my DSLR. It has been a great addition to my camera bag. I am going to show to examples of what a Polarizing filter is needed and used for.

I have a pair of not-so-expensive pair of sunglasses that I bought last year. I bought them at the mall, thinking they look great, but they wont be that great. I was wrong. They are polarized with a warm tone to them. Yes, I said warm tone. They offer a warmth about them that combined with the polarizing lenses makes viewing everything more beautiful and enjoyable to look at.

 

 

I have been thinking about landscapes a lot more lately as the weather is getting nice and the trees are filling in. On my way into my studio last week I finally decided to stop and make a few photographs of this one particular area that I pass quite frequently. I took out my camera and my filter and mounted it to the front of the lens. Now, before I got any further, I must explain that filters can be a little tricky to use. During my search to find the right page to link to that has the filter for sale, I found negative reviews about the product. This particular filter requires a little bit of knowledge before you just go and slap it on and make photographs. The two sets of images below will give a visual to assist in the explanation. A polarizing filter is designed to intensify the blue in the sky and make the photograph pop. It also adds a little bit of contrast to further increase “the pop” that the photo will have. 

 

Without Filter                       With Filter

 

 

If you look closely at the image on the left you will see that it is over exposed. You could take the image into photoshop and or lightroom to bring down the exposure and brightness a little bit. However, this is one more step to your work flow that could have been avoided by using the filter. While I was making these photographs, I did not have the intention of writing this article. But, it came to me while I was shooting. So, what I did was take the filter off and made a  photograph. Both sets of images, the top and bottom, all have the same camera settings. The photograph without filter is set to ISO 100  F4.5  1/180 sec. Which is the same for the photograph with the filter If these numbers are alien to you. Let me explain, ISO acts like what film speed used to, allowing the light to pass in fast. F 4.5 is the f-stop the size of the opening of the lens. Rule of thumb I created when I was young, smaller the number the larger the opening, which allows the most light to come in, 1/180 refers to 180th of a second, the time needed to make the exposure. It took 1/180th of a second to expose the photograph.

Basically when you are going to use the filter you have set the camera to give a slight over exposure. As you can see in both sets of images, the scene is over exposed. When you place the filter on the lens it brings down the exposure. Polarizing filters require more exposure in order to function properly. Polarizing filters require a +1 - +2 increase for exposures. (If you notice the image of the filter above, you will see that it is very dark for a filter, in comparison to a UV filter, which is clear and used to protect the front of your lens) This means if the meter in the camera reads the landscape at 1/250 you need to pull it down to around 1/180 with the filter.  One thing that I did see while reading the very harsh reviews of the filter was that it was hard to focus the lens in. If this is the case, simply set the camera to manual focus. 90% of my images are made using manual focus. This allows me to set the focus to get the sharpest image possible. I have noticed with some lenses, using it on auto focus can leave the image with a slight blur. Regardless, if you do experience a blur, just make sure you set the camera or lens to manual focus.

 

Without Filter                                           With Filter    

  

 

Landscape photography is basically the only application in terms of using a polarizing filter. Think water and sky when you think you need to use a polarizing filter. You wouldn’t want to be using one for shooting portraits. Using a polarizing filter will cut down on the editing and post-processing you will need to do to your photographs. The image with the filter has a slight vignette to it and that is it. Everything else was made in camera. If you decide to search for other reviews of the lens, make sure they discuss how to use it before the make accusations about the quality or worthiness of the product. The review that I read makes no warrant as how the product functions or the application (landscape) in which needed. It is a review written without idea as to how it works, functions, or when a polarizing filter is needed. Filters are sold based on peoples ability to use them. Though the Sunpak is a cheaper more economical purchase, it functions just as good as the pricier ones. And the examples above show for this. 

Wikipedia and Filters

 

Hoya Filters are arguably the best to use. They are more pricier.

 

Below are three examples of HDR images that I used a Polarizing Filter on to increase the dynamics even further.

 

     

HDR Portrait

HDR portraits can be very simple or they can be very complicated. By simple I mean using one image, photoshop, and a few techniques to do a pseudo-HDR process. You can take one image and run it through an HDR action or you can run it through some of the filters and plug ins that are available. In Lightroom, there are presets that mimic what HDR is. But as well all know mimicking is not the same as the real thing. Or you have the option to  make the person you are photographing stand, sit, or lay very still while you make the needed bracketed exposures. 

I have two examples of HDR portraits. 1. the person asked if they could be photographed for HDR. Gladly I said yes, and stand very still, do not move at all. Which he did not. He essentially held his breath, posture, and stood motionless for 3 exposures to be made. What I was left with was my first HDR portrait.

Example 1 The image on the left does not have as much shadow on the face as you can see in the example on the right. Both are HDR portraits that were made by having him stand still. The one on the right was the first image made. He stood comfortably leaning against the wall.

Example 2 The portrait was made before I started integrating HDR into a part of my regular image making. I photographed him in passing while on a trip to Provincetown, MA, Cape Cod. This photograph was made using a pseudo technique that I created.

There are, like I mentioned, a few different ways in which you can create an HDR portrait. Lighroom and Adobe Bridge, as well as Adobe Camera Raw all have the ability to create them. My technique more closely matches what you would get if you were to shoot for HDR. (bracketed exposures)

HDR Landscape and some ICE

Some times it pays to take a break and go out and shoot. Today I did just that. It was cold. I didnt have any gloves with me. I was fortunate enough to be able to barrow some hiking boots from my business partner, but still was cold. My jacket, thought it looks very nice, isnt much warmer than a piece of fabric. Never the less it didnt stop me from going out and making some photographs. I shoot landscapes when I can. I make panoramas every chance I get. For me, shooting like this is a creative brake from being creative. We did some hiking, some exploring, may or may not have trespassed. No one can be sure whether or not we did or didnt. I will admit though that taking the break to make these photographs was refreshing. Getting out of the studio and away from the work load for a bit was great. Now that I have made these, took some time off, I am ready to get back to work.

 

 

 

HDR Photography: The right time of day to shoot.

HDR Photography is allowing for more and more conceptual compositions to be composed. There are a few different ways you can approach making HDR images. You can shoot to produce the ultra surreal images with bright and vivid colors or make images that show a more dynamic range of shadows, high lights, and mid tones all in one image. Such software as Photomatix allows for the ease of tone mapping which produces the contrasted colors. However, tone mapping produces the surreal look that does command a visual examination of the photograph, but the problem with tone mapping is it compresses the image to allow for the contrast, which causes a decrease in the dynamic range.

I prefer to use Photomatix to process my HDR images. Depending on what I am shooting I make the choice before I even get to the computer as to which look I am going for. For a client I produce images that are more realistic and have a greater dynamic range in the shadows, high lights and mid tones. For my personal work it is a 50/50 depending on the composition and the scene/location for which I am shooting.

The next biggest factor I consider when approaching ANY HDR image is the quality of light. Below are two examples of HDR images, same location, same subject, but photographed at different times.

The first image was made about 12pm The second image as shot nearly 3 hours later.

The image on the left is cooler than the image on the right. The warm tones of the image on the right make for a more aesthetically pleasing composition. I favor the image on the right because of the warmth that it exhibits. The time of day I would most likely choose to shoot this scene reflects the image on the right. In post production you could adjust the image on the right by adding a warm tone filter to it or by changing the color balance and make it a little bit warmer. You just do not get the same quality of image by using a post production method for making the image.

Recently I hung a small collection of HDR prints for a small exhibition in our studio. A guest pointed out that it appears that most of my images were made during or around the same time of day. It was easy to explain why it appeared that way. The time of day was favored for making photographs. The type of light that I was able to work with best suited the quality of the image. It is true that there is a favorable time to make photographs. The Golden Hour, the first and last hour sunlight during the day, when you can produce images that give a warm feel. This quality of light can yield some aesthetically pleasing images that when photographed earlier in the day might not. This time of day also allows for a much greater dynamic range, (not to be confused with the definition of HDR) in the light as well as the composition. Which also contributes to making photographs that give a much more pleasing look and feel to them.

These are a few things I factor in when establishing a composition. Especially when setting up for an image that uses HDR to further enhance the visual quality. Some of the greatest HDR Images that I have seen are made during the early morning hours or the evening hours. My friend Barry, who owns FreePhotoResources, doest quite a bit of photography in the early morning hours, as well as at night.

Credit: Barry Chignell Free Photo Resources

Here, Barry’s image works great with the use of cool tones. The quality of light that he has photographed reflects the season in which the photograph has been made. The use of cool tones really exemplifies the quality of the image. The long exposure and dragging of the clouds produces a magical feeling. This image is in contrast to what I discussed earlier about the quality of light, however he made it work very well in this image.

He has a number of great tutorials devoted to HDR photography. As well as a small reference to the Golden Hour. Barry makes great use of the golden hour. He has produced some fantastic images following these principals about quality of light and the right time of day to make striking images. Its very simple, go out before sunset and capture the golden hour as it comes into play. Make sure you have a great composition and location planned out. Three times a week I make a commute that is very early in the morning. Each day the sun is out and there is a frost on the ground the light produces some very scenic images that command your attention. I am planning on photographing the landscape this week. It is prior viewing of this scene that allows me to further plan out the shoot. I know the right time of day and the right quality of light needed to capture the mood I want to convey photographically. Taking some time to plan out your photographs makes a world of a difference. Of course we all know that planning things out can change in 1/45th of a second.