Using a Polarizing Filter

Using a polarizing filter will help improve your photography in some situations. These digital photography tips will tell you what this filter is good for and when to use it.

This is one of the most useful filters you can have and in my opinion should be the first filter you purchase. These filters work by cutting the glare that appears on many objects. This includes glare from tiny water droplets in the air that may distort the color of the sky.

When the glare on objects is reduced it results in more color saturation and more contrast in the image. You'll notice that the sky looks bluer and leaves look greener. It is also great for taking pictures of water because it reduces the amount of reflection you get on the surface allowing you to see the details in the water. These effects make this filter popular for landscape photography.

Here is a better explanation about what a polarizing filter will do.

Water - The filter will get rid of glare making the water look more transparent. You'll be able to photograph details beneath the surface of clear water and you'll be able to get the details on the surface of very cloudy water. To get water to look the most transparent shoot from above looking down into the body of water.

Glass - If you've ever tried to take a picture through glass you know how difficult it can be. The glare from the glass always ends up in your picture. If you use a filter you'll get rid of the glare making a transparent surface to shoot through.

Sky - Tiny droplets of water in the atmosphere reflect light creating glare in your pictures. When you cut out that glare you get skies that are much deeper blue. These filters are great for preventing white overexposed skies. This works best when the sun is at a 90 degree angle to the filter.

Colors - These filters will amp up the colors in your pictures by reducing the glare that usually lightens colors. It will be especially noticeable on foliage.

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Polarizing filters screw onto the front of your lens. Circular filters are most commonly used and can be adjusted by turning them. As you turn the front part of the filter the colors will change in the picture. You can adjust the filter to get the effect you're looking for before taking the picture.

These filters are quite thick and shouldn't be used with lenses wider than 28mm. On wider angle lenses the edges of the filter will distort the edges of the picture giving you a vignetting effect. You can buy thinner filters, but these are quite expensive.

You should also avoid using these filters to take panoramic pictures because you'll end up with different color properties in the pictures that will make it difficult to piece the pictures together into a continuous image.

These filters are dark so you'll have to adjust your exposure accordingly. Open your aperture wider or lengthen the shutter time to allow the right amount of light to get on the sensor. You may need to use a tripod to keep the camera still.

Avoid using this filter in low light situations and on overcast days. These filters are quite dark and will just make your pictures too dark in these situations.

Point and Shoot Cameras

If you have a point and shoot camera you won't be able to use a polarizing filter, but don't worry there is a solution that your can experiment with. These filters are like sunglasses. If you have a pair of sunglasses with polarizing lenses you can try using them as your filter.

Hold the sunglasses in front of your camera lens. You can rotate them around to see how each part of the lens affects the color of the sky. When you get the effect you're looking for take the picture.

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