• Originals
    • Categories
      • Gear
        • Forum
          • Picture of the Day
            • Contests
              • More
                • FS Gear Guide
                • Fstoppers T-shirts
              • Home
              • Advertise
              • Meet the Writers
              • Submit Content
              • Contact

              A Great Example Of What A Polarizing Filter Does

              Many of you may know what a polarizer does in theory, but you may have never seen a side by side comparison like this. The video below from OliviaTech does a great job of showing examples of this filter in use. If you shoot outside, or reflective subjects, a polarizer like this one is a must have.



              June 9, 2011
              Lee Morris
              Tweet
              Gear
              Nature
              Video
              « Art or Pornography? The Life and Work of Sally Mann
              Michael Levin: Master Of Black And White Landscapes »
              • http://twitter.com/Wesolowsky Filip Wesołowski

                She literally couldn’t make it simpler. Awesome job on explaining and perfect comparison shots.

              • http://twitter.com/gtb104 Geoffrey Bell

                Informative, but I think her explanation is a little off regarding the studio scene.  The reason the laptop’s monitor went black was due to a technique called cross polarization.  Most laptop screens have a linear polarizer built into them.  When the polarizing axis of the CPL is adjusted in perpendicular alignment to the laptop’s polarizer, the screen would appear black.  This technique has been around for a long time, but isn’t used that much anymore.  It is used, however, in those vari-polarizing filters like the one from Singh-ray.

                All in all, good info for a beginner.

              • Jochen Nünning

                She said it doesn’t change the exposure. That’s wrong in my opinion. A polarizer takes about 1 – 2 f-stops or more, depending on the filter.

              • Anonymous

                Yeah thats true too, so lowering the exposure helps in darkening the colors.
                But it still helps achieve better color.

              • Anonymous

                I was not prepared for the attractiveness of Olivia- awesome advice though, always thought polarizers were just for water reflections, but the last tree example sold me.

              • http://twitter.com/cheesycam CheesyCam

                Placing a polarizer on the lens will cut down a few stops, but turning the polarizer around shouldn’t change the exposure afterwards.

              • http://nicholsonrecords.com/paul Paul Nicholson

                I’m pretty sure she’s using a linear polarizing filter, not a circular one as stated. Circular would be the same as it is rotated. Linear changes the image based on the angle of the polarization, as in her examples.
                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarizing_filter_(Photography)

              • http://twitter.com/klausphotos Ben Klaus

                No, circular polarizers change as you rotate them. And I agree with some of the others, this is misleading, a polarizer does change exposure, 1-2 stops.

              • http://twitter.com/klausphotos Ben Klaus

                No, circular polarizers change as you rotate them. And I agree with some of the others, this is misleading, a polarizer does change exposure, 1-2 stops.

              • Anonymous

                good god– im buying whatever she’s selling.. excellent video

              • Chris Blizzard

                Great video, Though I’d like to point out to everyone that she never said that putting a polarizer on wouldn’t change your exposure, she was saying that by TURNING the polarizer it changes the shot without needing to then adjust the exposure.   So you’re not going from no polarizer to polarizer, you’re going from polarizer, to twisted polarizer…   hence no adjustments to exposure are needed…

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=570921436 Agostino Carandente

                A bit imprecise on the technical details – it’s not “light coming from one direction”, and the notion of “the true colors” is puzzling at best, but very effectively demonstrates how it works. Also, nice earrings!

              • http://twitter.com/ThomasSorgaard Thomas Sorgaard

                how does this come out if you combine it with a model and flash?

              • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_25AWTS2RWV4GNQYIIIROVV5GF4 gp

                She needs to do more videos, daily, on any kind of random stuff as long as she’s in them. :)
                Good explanation on how the polarizing filter works though and being easy on the eyes helps too.

              • http://profiles.google.com/carlos.yepez Carlos Yepez

                A great video to post. Nice, simple explanation. I have a CP in my bag everywhere I go. Not only great for scenery shots, but great for automotive shots to kill the reflections on windows or body of the car. 

              • Nathan Cashion

                Correct, it doesn’t block light “coming from one direction.” (i.e. from above, from the right, etc.) If this were the case, all of the light coming from the water would have been blocked out and you wouldn’t see anything.
                More accurately, a polarizer blocks certain angles of light. The waves that reflect off of the surface of the water are at a different angle than the waves that come from under the water. This is why fishermen use polarized sunglasses – it allows them to see the fish under the water by reducing the glare.

              • http://www.patrickhallphotography.com Patrick Hall

                Should look fine.  When would you need to do that though?  Maybe outside with dramatic skies?  Just remember your flash will have to be 1-2 stops more powerful

              • Anonymous

                Good vid and thanks Olivia!
                Before this, I didn’t understand anything about filters!

              • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TSFHKT64ZUG3SFSVMYQRGF2HWE MARK P

                She is now number one in my list of Olivia

              • Connect with Fstoppers
                Follow @Fstoppers
              • Fstoppers Originals
              • Popular Articles
                • What A Week Of Groceries Looks Like Around The World
                • "Unplugged Weddings": Preventing Guests From Destroying Your Photographs
                • Endearing Animal Portraits By 18 Year Old Photographer Jessica Trinh
                • Color Film Footage From 1920s London is the Coolest Thing You'll See Today
                • Raw Comparison: Magic Lantern Canon 5D VS Black Magic Cinema Camera
                • Is Facebook the New Breeding Ground for Copyright Infringement?
                • Learn Inexpensive Ways To Create Gallery-Style Works Of Art
                • Saudi Arabian Women Unveiled
                • Brad Pitt Photographs Angelina Jolie: Results Are Impressive
                • 3 Minutes Of Setup And 2 Shutter Clicks : The Reality Of Celebrity Portraiture
                • No Joke: Magic Lantern Gets Raw Video Out Of The Canon 5D Mark III
                • Behind the Scenes: Photo Shoot with EXITMUSIC
                • Jeff Bridges Honored for His Photography
                • UPDATED: Is World Press Photo Photoshopped?
              • Recent Comments
                • CoffeeWithChris said The worst part is that the light doesn't match :-) »
                • Talyn Sherer said So because someone makes a lot of money means they deserve respect from the community regardless of their »
                • Tony Guillaro said That's a HUGE difference... Can't wait till they come out with something for Nikon, Not switching to Cano »
                • templebox said Interesting and all, but absolutely nothing about photography in this post! »
                • Dan Tabár said was a pleasure to assist on this shoot - both Blair and Clayton were class acts throughout »
                • MarkFore said As a photographer who works in-house for a fairly large clothing brand I see my images all over the Inter »
                • James Busse said i prefer to watermark as many as i can. its kind of ridiculous but this is the world we're coming to. peo »
                • A.G. Photography said Stop sharing photos, and share links. Share links to your websites. »
              • Support Fstoppers
                current nikon rebates deals
              • FS Originals
              • Endearing Animal Portraits By 18 Year Old Photographer Jessica Trinh
              • How to Go Pro Without Going Crazy
              • Fstoppers Sits Down with Lara Jade
              • Fstoppers First Look: Sigma’s New 18-35 f/1.8
              • Fstoppers Reviews SLRLounge’s Natural Light Couples Photography Workshop DVD
              • Categories
              • Commercial
              • Video
              • Gear
              • Location
              • Strobe Light
              • Contests
              • Win a 30x40 Print
              • Alien Skin Retouch Contest
              • Win the Art Behind the Headshot
              • Black Rapid Contest
              • Win a Lowepro Bag
              • Random Posts
              • NYC Photographers Meetup Tonight, Friday Oct 29th
              • [News Discussion] Does your Nikon D800 Lock Up?
              • Why Being a Wedding Photographer is the Best Job in the World
              • [Tips] 4 Hidden Tricks for Simple Shooting with Your iPhone
              • [BTS Video] Flour Explosion With A Bit Of Post Production
              • Picture of the Day
              • Frankfurt Delay
              • LHD-1
              • Search and Rescue
              • Gallardo
              • Aurora X-Trail
              • Home
              • Advertise
              • Meet the Writers
              • Submit Content
              • Contact
              • Sitemap
              © Fstoppers
              Made by Novum