Jay Patel is a well know professional landscape photographer who we have had the pleasure of interviewing in the past. He is very open to share his knowledge as well as his mistakes. So it came no surprise to us when Jay shared this story about not knowing when to use a circular polarizing filter ruined all photos from his shoot in the dunes in Death Valley.
Circular Polarizing Filter
This is what it does:
- It is great for reducing glare from reflective surfaces.
- It will pull the glare from wet leaves or the surface of a pond so you can see more detail and color
- And it helps cut through haze to enhance the blue in the sky
Polarizing filters are made up of two rotating elements, and seems pretty simple to use.
Just screw one onto your lens, and then rotate the outer ring until you get the effect you want.
At least, that’s what I thought when I first went to Death Valley with my brand new wide-angle lens and my expensive new filter. I planned to use it to make the most of the complimentary colors – a brilliant blue sky and the golden light on the rippling sand.
But I was in for a surprise. I didn’t really know how my circular polarizer filter worked – and that lack of knowledge ruined every single photo of the Mesquite Dunes.
What you need to know
At first, I was baffled. I thought there must have been something wrong with my camera.
Polarizer filters are dependent on the angle of the sun
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Polarizing filters on a wide angle lens can cause uneven polarization
I did my research, and I discovered that the effect produced by the filter is highly dependent upon the angle of the sun. Shooting with a wide angle lens can cause uneven polarization… which produces a dark “blob” in the sky as seen in the image below:
Angle of the Sun
Polarizing effect is maximum when shooting at 90 degrees to the sun. So when using a wide angle lens with large field of view the polarizing effect will be maximized in certain portion of the image while other parts of the image receive no polarizing effect. This is what causes the blue blob in the sky.
Avoid using a circular polarizing filter on a wide angle lens when photographing blue sky
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This uneven polarization is most noticeable when photographing blue skies. So as a rule of thumb we try to avoid a circular polarizer when photographing blue sky photos with wide angle lens. If your composition does not include blue skies a circular polarizer on a wide angle lens may produce the desired results.
A bit of knowledge would have saved me a lot of money… and a lot of work. I might have come away from that trip to Death Valley with a collection of images I would have been proud of.
You can be sure I was ready when I returned to Death Valley for another try. This time, I knew when to use my filters, and when to leave them in my bag… and my photos show the rich colors and beautiful textures I had originally envisioned.
Online Photography Course: Essential Filters
Jay and Varina Patel are well known and respected landscape photographers and teachers. In this course called The Ultimate Collection: Essential Filters they cover everything you need to know about using filters for landscape photography. The most common filters are explained including: UV, Circular Polarizers, Neutral Density and Graduated filters.
The Patels explain what each filter does, when to use each, and when not to use them, as well as how to mount them to your lens, protecting and storing them, and eight separate case studies applying it all in the field. If you are interested in improving your landscape photography, learning what filters to buy and how to use them properly, then this course is for you! Their teaching style is easy to understand and and they make it fun.
Essential Filters Video Course
By using this discount code dpm-24f34df you can take advantage of a 33% savings on the Essential Filters Course.
Watch the video trailer below to see the quality of their landscape video tutorial.
Cheers,
Anyone have a link to an article or video on how to remove the discoloration in Post that Jay has talked about? I have some (almost) stellar images that have this problem I would love to learn how to remove
Sorry Matt there really isn’t a good way to remove it. You’d have to do a lot of cloning and it would be really tricky even for someone really good at PS to fix it. No the solution is to not get it when shooting. Sorry.
Thanks Darlene. Best I have found is to use the radial filter with a really wide feather and lighten the offending area…and then fiddle with clarity, shadows, highlights etc. Matt Kosloski had a solution to take two photos of the exact same scene and use PS to merge the two but that would mean you saw the problem in the field in the first place.
Yes exactly. Either way lots of fiddling and not an easy fix for sure.
Unfortunately, many photographers have gotten the false message that CPL
filters can’t be used with UWA lenses — that is complete nonsense. It isn’t always a matter of yes or no, but also of degree and trade-offs. A CPL filter is variable, thus it can be “dialed back” from the maximum effect, and quite often it should be toned down instead of going for maximum saturation that makes photos look “overcooked” which can easily happen when viewing through the camera. As with many Photoshop effects, I typically “back off the slider” for a more natural look. Even when used with a fisheye lens (a much larger filter than the lens barrel size), the effect can be acceptable (see sample below).
The polarization effect varies not only by the angle of the sun but also by the angle of reflectance of objects or surfaces in the scene, so with a particular rotation of the filter there may be little change in the sky but the appearance of other non-metallic objects in the scene can be dramatically improved. When dealing with blue skies, the angle of view of the lens (focal length relative to format size) is also a consideration, as well as the tilt of the camera and how much sky is visible. Post processing can often correct unevenness in the sky if you’re working with a 16-bit image and you’re willing to spend the time.
For interior spaces shot with WA lenses, the CPL filter is indispensable because it cuts reflections and reveals surface tonality and colors. Finally, a CPL filter can increase or reduce flare through the lens system, depending on a number of factors. I find it useful initially to hold the filter up to my eye and view the scene while rotating it, to get a rough idea of what it does, although this doesn’t fully reveal the effect on my specific lens and camera.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b7dfcacdb111e35db89d71d8e462d000d9e1bebf0c25b33cbe0bb0dfa24374e4.jpg
Thanks for adding your thoughts!
Many circular polarization filters manufacturers specifically produce filters with an extrathin frame, to reduce vignetting at wide angle (and more expensive too). Why would they do that, if using a PL with a wide angle results in a blob or unequal sky color?
Jay,I share your pain. The first time I used my wide angle snd circular polarizer filter I made the same mistake. I was a bit more fortunate. I was close to home doing a practice shoot learning my new equipment. Now I get great shots and remove the filter when shooting the sky.
Great article. I also like using polarizing filters. I know that a circular polarizing filter is needed for today’s digital cameras, but I don’t think they have quite the impact as linear filters had with film.
A comment about checking the “live view” LCD or electronic view finder (EVF): I’ve learned that both LCD and EVF can be a bit deceiving. I’ve taken shots that looked great on the 3″ LCD or in EVF, but were horrid when viewed on a larger laptop or PC screen. So, even if you check live view or EVF in the field, you might get some surprises on uploading images.
I like the first picture in your article. Yes, the sky is an uneven blue, but to me, it’s not distracting and adds contrast to the clouds. The sand is a pleasant golden orange to contrast the sky in color and there’s a lot of wavy lines to add dynamics and interest.
I like taking weather pictures and find a polarizing filter necessary for adding contrast to clouds. Your first pic above is a great example. Another use is to get a darker blue on purpose to adjust exposure. Polarizing filters will subtract up to 2 stops, depending on the filter and how it’s rotated. So, it’s like having a neutral density filter.
One last point: many times, the polarizing filter effect cannot be easily duplicated in post. For example, you can reduce reflections using a polarizing filter. This might be in a store or car window. An object or person behind the glass can be easily seen in the image. To get the same image without a filter, one would have to take a picture of the window with reflections, then a separate picture of the subject behind the glass, and blend the two together in software. The angles and exposure will likely be different, the reflections would need to be erased, etc. This could be very time-consuming in software.
Thank you Jay! Thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing your mistakes so we can learn. I love reading from those who are successful and get it right first time, but as one who so often gets it wrong the first few times, I do happy dances all around the room when I see someone of your calibre sharing posts like this. Because ultimately, it is your kind of teaching that inspires and gives we beginners hope, and the reassurance that in spite of our errors, we can achieve amazing things, too. Blessings, Helen, (photo imaging student, and frequent example of how ‘not’ to do things!).
I have
a Nikon D7100. Any newer Nikon Camera DX 7100 or the new 7200 and I believe the
D750 FX and up all have wireless capability.
With the 7100, you have to purchase a WU-1a adapter to go
wireless (about $60).
The 7200 is internal as well as the FX models.
I bought a second hand Nexus 10 tablet for $200 unlocked.
Now I can take some shots, send them to the tablet and see them
much better than through my LCD right on site.
Works for me.
PS: I found just tapping the edge of the filter lightly all
around usually loosens it up.
I’m not sure that my attempted posting succeeded. If it did, I apologize for the repetition.
Jay,
I believe that you use a full-frame sensor DSLR. Would there be the same unevenness effect for a crop-sensor DSLR?
Cornell
The effect would be the same but you have to consider the “effective” focal lenght with a crop body. So a 17mm on a crop body or 1.6x would produce similar uneven polarization effects as a 27mm lens.
In my opinion, I feel $97 USD is quite steep for a single topic video of this nature aimed at both hobbyist and possibly pro photographers – despite the 33% discount code – which essentially covers the USD to CDN exchange rate. I can appreciate that there is time and money involved to produce the video but I think you would sell many more downloads if the pricing were more attractive.
Take a look here… Courses for CDN $44 or $54 respectively:
http://www.craftsy.com/class/collection/landscape-essentials/10937?_ct=sbqii-sqjuweho-dum&_ctp=10&rceId=1427332939090~hzcx1mfp
Just my opinion.
Totally entitled to that opinion. So likely it’s not for you. But perhaps is for someone who needs just this information. Also every teacher is different with a different style, so you need to pick one that resonates with you.
Could you define “wide angle”, please? I often use a 10-20 lens on my Pentax K3. Obviously 10 is wide, but is 20? At what point does the problem kick in?
This is a good question….most photographer would define 50mm and below as wide angle, but this is bit subjective in nature. You will get noticeable uneven polarization even between 28-50mm. The question you have to ask yourself is can you live with it?
Here is a shot taken at 30mm that show uneven polarization in the sky…unlike the “blue blob” effect I dont mind this at all.
Thank you for the response. I often shoot with the 10mm lens (so about 15mm with a full-frame equivalent) and the CPL on at arond noon. This shot is an example – I can see what you mean but I actually also find the effect quite pleasing.
I also convert a lot of my shots to Infra-red B & W in Elements – partly because I like the effect and partly because I’m colour blind. Again, the effects seem to work – for me, at least. Since I’m not a pro, I guess that’s all that really matters!
Nice…Pro is just a label that some puts on you and for the govt. to collect taxes. 🙂
Incidentally the shot I shared is from one of our case studies include in the Filters Course. What we try to emphasize in our course is a workflow to make the right choice. While the technical knowledge forms the basis of your choice…the final decision always comes down to a balance between the artistic and technical choices.
Good luck with your photography.
Ah yes, we all make critical mistakes from time to time. (My worst one was when I loaded every single 8″ x 10″ film back with the film all in backwards when preparing for a trip to the Rockies, and I had 10 film backs. I don’t know why I had it stuck in my head the wrong way that night about where the notches on the film should be, but I did.) That one had me crying in the darkroom.
Yikes, so it was all out of focus just a little?
Worse, the emulsion was facing the wrong way, so the light was hitting the side of the film without emulsion. Horribly underexposed, and I had a two backs loaded with expensive colour slide film, and they had the weirdest colour cast as well as being badly underexposed. The round filing cabinet received a lot of film that day in the darkroom.
Bummer
Racist.
I don’t think I would want to buy “instructional” material from someone that didn’t know what a polarizing filter does or how it works… and then had to “look it up later”.
You’re entitled to your opinion but as John N mentioned below sharing ones mistakes is part of being a good teacher. Not everyone is perfect. Not everyone can admit that and take away the lesson.
Also please refrain from using profanity and insulting comments on this site such as your last 4 letters indicate. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment.
We’ve interviewed Jay a few times. He’s quite candid about where he came from as a photographer. He has taken up photography relatively recently and has grown so much through his trials and tribulations.
The shot he got, the shot he missed, the ones he want back to re-capture.
He discussed how he went back to a location in Oregon years after not getting the shot he wanted to re-do it after he’d learned and grown.
The whole story is here: https://dev-dpm-2.instawp.xyz/jay-patel-how-i-got-started-in-photography/
He and his wife Varina are now considered top landscape photographers in the world.
Everyone I hope learns from their mistakes, and then have a duty to share those lessons with others.
In this article, a trip to Death Valley to photograph the sand dunes years ago, far before becoming a teacher, serves as a lesson. Why not share that lesson?
It’s my opinion that Jay has the ability to teach quite well, and that I’ve seen the course material myself, and know that it provides a valuable resource, and enough so that we recommend it.
Your choice.
We are all human and I for one don’t claim to know it all. It is also not my philosophy to hide my mistakes from my 2+ Million followers on Social media or portray myself to a something I am not.
Not only did I make a mistake 10 years ago when I went to Death Valley…but I made a mistake just couple of years ago when I first went to shoot flowing Laval in Hawaii. And sure, I openly share my mistakes with the world so that other can learn from them…and hopefully avoid them when they find themselves in such situation.
In either case…Good luck with your photography. 😉
I, for one, admire people who make mistakes and have the openness to share the learning experience with others. “Always right know-it-alls” are really the people to avoid!
There’s always one in the crowd!!
One trick my dad taught me years ago is some time when the filter is screwed on to tight and it seems it won’t unscrew, use a rubber band around the filters edge so it will unscrew much easier.
Personally, I think it is enormously helpful to have people share their mistakes – and very generous, too. That’s the kind of teacher I like!
Also the width of the rubber band, how close to the size of the filter and how how tight it fits on the filters edge help a lot too with removing a filter thats been screw on too tight.
Awesome trick…I am going to carry one around with me. Lettuce from our local grocery store comes with a flat rubber band that fit around my 77mm lens quite well. Thanks.
Am I the only one surprised that the Mr. Patel never checked his LCD? A brief glance would reveal the blobs.
Sometimes when you’re outside the LCD is tough to see, especially little nuances like color difference in the sky. If you don’t know to look for it either perhaps? Just some ideas.
You are correct….I did not check my LCD closely enough. I had the LCD Preview enabled so it would display a small thumbnail and a histogram on the side. My workflow as to pay more attention to the histogram so that I have proper exposure.
But the truth of the matter is that I was still learning….and even if I had checked the LCD I would not have know what was causing the blue blob. We are all human and have to learn how to use our equipment properly.