Take a polarising filter with you more often

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A polarising filter is often used to bring out more detail in the sky. But it is better used to reduce reflections and highlights. Take your polarising filter with you more often.

The polarising filter, also often incorrectly called a polaroid filter, reduces highlights. This makes colours warmer. It also makes the sky slightly darker.

A polarising filter works when the light comes from the right angle. The filter has its maximum effect at 90 degrees, and no effect at all at 0 degrees. So avoid using it with (extreme) wide-angle lenses, as the effect will be uneven.

A polarising filter often adds value, especially with leaves in sunlight and reflections in water. The photo can sometimes look completely different. I can try to describe that, but an image tells you much more.

I have collected a few examples. All edits of the photos taken with and without the filter are exactly the same. So you are seeing purely the difference made by a polarising filter. The first photo is without the filter, the second with it.

You can clearly see how much difference a polarising filter can make. However, it does not always work, as the light has to come from the right angle. In addition, auto white balance can 'mask' the effect, making it difficult to see while taking the photo.

You might think, I can do that in post-processing too... But you cannot. The filter changes the direction of the light, so it is a physical change. You can simulate it slightly in post-processing, but that is all.

Do you have a polarising filter? Use it more often this spring and summer, and in autumn too, of course. But bear in mind that sometimes it is better not to use it. So always be critical.

You might also like

2 comments

Have your say