Circular polarizing filters (CPLs) might seem like specialized gear, but they can be essential for capturing richer, more vibrant images. If you haven't experimented with one yet, understanding their real-world impact on your shots might just change your perspective.
Coming to you from Alex Barrera, this straightforward video explores CPL filters without hype, emphasizing their actual use in photography rather than relying on overblown promises. Barrera admits openly that despite 15 years behind the camera, he'd never seriously considered a CPL filter due to misconceptions about their use. Commonly promoted for automotive and landscape photography, these filters reduce glare and reflections from shiny surfaces, significantly enhancing contrast and deepening colors. Barrera discovered these effects firsthand, noticing immediate improvements in the vividness and depth of his outdoor shots. The filters essentially act like sunglasses for your camera, cutting through glare that otherwise dulls images.
In practical terms, Barrera experimented with different filter brands across various price points—from the affordable KN&F Concept to the pricier PolarPro. Interestingly, despite noticeable differences in build quality and ease of use, the cheaper filter performed equally well in terms of actual image quality, a valuable insight if you're skeptical about investing heavily upfront. Additionally, Barrera stresses the difficulty of replicating a CPL's precise effect through post-processing alone, pointing out that removing glare and enhancing contrast directly in-camera provides distinct results that editing software simply can't match.
The broader appeal, as highlighted by Barrera, extends beyond traditional landscapes or car photography. Whether shooting portraits, street scenes, or even weddings, the richness and clarity achieved with a CPL can transform otherwise standard shots. He shares that since integrating CPL filters into his photography routine, his work consistently draws attention, with many questioning what presets he's suddenly started using. Surprisingly, the only real change has been the introduction of these filters. By enriching the color palette directly in-camera, CPLs simplify your workflow, reducing the need for heavy edits later.
Barrera also emphasizes that the filters particularly shine outdoors. Skies take on a deeper, more compelling blue, clouds gain noticeable definition, and overall, images benefit from enhanced clarity without looking artificially boosted. These benefits aren’t limited to sunny days either; even overcast conditions show improvement, thanks to the filters cutting through subtle glare that often goes unnoticed.
Perhaps the most practical takeaway is how easily accessible these improvements are. You don't need to overhaul your entire gear kit or change your editing style drastically. A simple addition of a CPL to your lenses is enough to notice a significant upgrade in image quality. The decision essentially comes down to whether you prefer investing in slightly better handling or opting for budget-friendly options that still deliver top-notch results. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Barrera.
I am a big fan of polarizing filters. But you have to understand something about light, and you cannot just slap one in your camera, and expect to get satisfactory results.
In fact, a polarizer can make glare worse if you don't know what you are doing.
So it was a tad disappointing not to see some with and without images, and a demonstration of how you "dial in" the effect by rotating the filter while looking through the viewfinder or live view. That is the ONLY way to use a polarizer, because unlike polaroid sunglasses you don't know which orientation of light waves is being blocked.
I use these filters for landscape in color, black and white, and infrared--borh with film and digital. I sometimes stack a polarizer with contrast control filters when doing B/W and sometimes with ND grads for color and B/W. I also use polarizers for macro photography.
There are limits to what the filters can do. For example, glare from metallic surfaces cannot be adjusted with a polarizer. So the automotive photography mentioned refers to glare on painted surfaces, and might depend on the paint. Also, light that is directly behind the camera / photographers back or directly behind the subject just isn't going to be polarized (except where reflecting off water), so the filter doesn't block anything in particular.
The best / strongest results are when the major light source is at a 90° angle to the lens axis, so straight overhead or in the arc from either side through overhead.