No professional photographer doesn’t depend at any time on different polarizer filters due to their clear impact on the final product, which necessarily expresses the creativity, vision, and nature of the photographer, but when and how can we use the different filters? This is a question that some novice and amateur photographers may miss to answer, and for the sake of these we will seek to answer this question, and we will start by learning about polarizing filters and we will discover how to use them and the most appropriate modes to put them on the lens of your professional cameras.
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What are polarizer filters and how do they work?
In a simple and more clear way, and without delving into the scientific theories behind the use of filters, including polarization filters, this type of filter specifically works to cut a single wave of direct reflected light, or what is known as polarized light.
Thus, polarizer filters can be used in a number of cases, such as eliminating unwanted light reflections, increasing the depth of the blue color in the evening, adding more contrast to the color of the skin, reducing or removing reflections from water or glass, and other uses that we will discuss in detail later.
One of the most prominent and most popular types of polarization filters is the Circular Polariser or CPL for short, which are the most suitable filters for auto-focus cameras.
With the different shooting position, the filter must be repositioned again. It is worth noting that the filter cuts a single part or wave as mentioned above, which may reach 1.5 stops of light, while the rest depends on the camera measurement system itself, which adjusts its properties and settings according to the data that the filter changed after placing it.
What are the differences between the polarization filters widespread in the market?
A wide range of polarization filters are available in the global market, which may vary in price by ten times or more. So what are the actual differences between these types of filters available in the market?
The difference lies in the quality of the glass used to make the filter, and the higher the quality of the glass used, the less likely it to be scratched, and the greater the overall build quality on the one hand, and the greater the quality of the effect on the other hand, and it is also logical not to put an inexpensive filter on your lens. Expensive as the filter will not be able to provide the desired result even with the best type of lens ever being used.
So when can you use an inexpensive filter?
If you are a beginner to an intermediate photographer, you can start with the cheapest filters, especially if you use a professional camera suitable for your level, as the differences in the image between the types of filters only appear with high-resolution photography, which is not very clear with medium-resolution photography like those found in medium professional cameras—the level.
How to use polarizer filters?
To be able to reach the best result from the polarization filters, it is necessary to take into account the correct angles to receive direct light, in the case of photographing a sunset, for example, where the sun is part of the image frame or used as a source of direct light behind the camera, the use of polarization filters will not be very feasible. To get the best results from using the filter, the sun should be a side lighting source or reflections at a 90-degree angle.
In this case, you can modify your position and also adjust the filter until you reach the best possible results, making sure of the various elements inside the picture frame, as some things may seem more likely to reflect the lighting than we imagine or more than we can notice with the naked eye without using the camera.
What are the usage modes of polarizer filters?
Removing reflections
Unwanted reflections are the most destructive element of the image and of the final product that we want to reach, as they can clutter up everything we want to highlight from the basic elements of the image. All of these unwanted reflections can be eliminated simply by using polarization filters.
Through this type of filters, it is possible to easily remove or reduce various reflections at the very least, such as those caused by building windows, reflections of automobile windows, the reflection of light on water surfaces such as rivers and lakes, all this only through simple rotation of the filter until the best results are achieved.
It should be noted that in some cases, the filter may be able to eliminate reflections, while in other cases, it may succeed in reducing the largest possible percentage of them, which depends on the strength of the ambient light and thus the strength of the reflection, and also on the light measurement system built into the camera, which, as mentioned previously, It adjusts itself to accommodate the new light data generated by using the filter.
Add more color depth to the sky
The image on the right with a polarization filter and on the left without using it
Polarization filters are ideal for outdoor use, and when photographing any image in which the sky overlaps as one of its elements, as these filters increase the depth of the blue color of the sky, and with their natural work to reduce light reflections from building surfaces, water and other causes of reflection, we finally get an image It is warm on the one hand and high-quality, on the other hand.
Although the same effects can be produced with different image-editing applications such as Lightroom and Photoshop from Adobe, the use of these methods is very time-consuming on the one hand, and it cannot produce the same natural effect resulting from the use of polarization filters on the other hand, even with the professional use of these applications. However, the natural effect is still the best in all cases, and the required color depth will only be achieved by using this type of filter.
Use in the arts of portraiture
Although the use of polarizing filters is best suited for outdoor use and landscape photography, they also have a clear effect on portraiture. As we mentioned in a previous paragraph, some reflections may be caused by human skin, especially oily skin, and by using this filter, the reflections caused by the skin can be reduced. This also adds color depth to the various elements of the picture.
Using the same filter makes it possible to reduce unwanted reflections caused by eyeglasses if the person to be photographed wears eyeglasses. The use of the polarization filter allows giving all the details of the person to be photographed with an equal luminosity of light, whether at the level of naturally dark areas or the level of regions Reflective like front and nose.
Thus, dear reader, we have provided you with a comprehensive guide on using polarizing filters in professional photography. You have to use this guide and unleash all your creative capabilities and share your experience with us through comments or our various social media accounts.
