Photo Plus - UK (2019-12)

56 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

THE MISSION

Use a polarizing

filter to enhance

landscape pictures

Time needed

30 minutes

Skill level

Beginner

Kit needed

• Kit or 50mm lens


• Circular polarizing
  filter

Breaking waves

Dan Mold shows you how polarizing filters cut out waves of scattered

light, giving you clearer pictures, with more contrast and bluer skies

ne of the reasons

you’ll often hear

photographers rave

about polarizing

ÀOWHUVLVWKDWWKH\FUHDWHDQ

LQFDPHUDHIIHFWWKDW·VQHDU

LPSRVVLEOHWRUHSOLFDWHLQ

post. They can cut down the

amount of scattered light in your

pictures, giving skies an intense

dark blue hue as well as being able

WRFXWWKURXJKUHÁHFWLRQVLQZDWHU

and glass – removing them from

the picture and giving you a

glare-free shots.

However, there’s a few

techniques you can employ to

make sure you get the best results

IURP\RXUSRODUL]LQJÀOWHU+HUH

we’re going to run through our top

tips that will help you get started.

7KHÀUVWWKLQJWRQRWHLV\RX·OO

ZDQWDFLUFXODUSRODUL]LQJÀOWHU

also called a CPL. Circular doesn’t

refer to it’s shape, though you can

JHWURXQG¶VFUHZLQ·W\SHÀOWHUVDW

affordable prices, but note that

circular polarizers can also be

picked up with a square shape

IRUGURSLQÀOWHUKROGHUV&LUFXODU

UHIHUVWRWKHSDWWHUQRQWKHÀOWHU

responsible for blocking out the

scattered light and is the preferred

SRODULVLQJÀOWHUZKHQFRPSDUHGWR

those with a linear pattern, which

are have a tendency to interfere

with the complex autofocus

systems on DSLR cameras.

The optical quality of a

SRODUL]HURUDQ\ÀOWHUIRUWKDW

matter, will affect the image

quality of your shots, so it’s best to

stick to a good quality high street

brand like Hoya, Cokin, Tiffen,

Lee or SRB rather than the cheap

non-brand ones that are readily

available online.

Now that you’ve got the right

polarizer it’s time to put it to good

use. Here’s how you can get the

most out of it.

O

BEFORE

AFTER