Polarising filters attach to camera lenses and reduce reflections and glare, and can improve colour saturation. They can simply make your photos look better. What is not to love, eh? And they don’t cost a lot either.
And I have a couple of these that I absolutely love.
In this episode, I will tell you when, how, and why I use my polarising filters.
In the last episode, I said that neutral density filters are like sunglasses for your camera lens—I think this applies even more to polarising filters.
That was the super quick answery bit. How utterly splendid. Let’s get into this.
But first, you can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading – entirely up to you.
Hi, and a very warm welcome to Episode 208 of the Photography Explained podcast. I’m your host, Rick, and in each episode, I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 27 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. Yes, really.
I’m a professionally qualified photographer based in England with a lifetime of photographic experience, which I share with you in my splendid podcast.
What are polarising filters?
Firstly, how do you spell polarising? Here in England, it is with an S. In the US, the preferred spelling is with a Z. I will stick to the English version, ok? With an s that is.
What does polarising mean?
I searched for this answer, and apart from the other meaning, which is to divide people into opposing groups (nice bit of additional knowledge there, Rick), polarising changes the way light moves. I was hoping for a more definitive scientific explanation, but I will explain in practical terms what it means for us photographers.
There are two types of polarising filters: linear and circular ones. To save time, I will say that I have never owned or used a linear polarising filter, so I will talk about circular polarising filters only.
These are also abbreviated to CPL, which never really made sense to me. CPL is Circular Polarising? Move on, Rick, this is not important.
How does a circular polarising filter work?
Simple – point your camera at something, look through the viewfinder, rotate the filter and see what happens. Suppose those reflections of the sun on the sea disappear and are replaced by deeper colours that match the rest of the sea, which is the filter in action. Keep rotating, and you will return to the beginning, where the filter is not doing its stuff.
Now, there is much more that I could say here about light rays, directions, angles, and what the filter is actually doing, but the reality is to rotate the filter and watch the magic happen. I don’t need the technical side of what is happening because I can see it with my own eyes, which is good enough for me.
So I am going to move on. I will return some examples of how I use my polarising filters.
What are Polarising filters made of?
Glass or resin. Same as ND Filters. But mainly glass.
And here is the thing that I did not know. Or did I know but have forgotten? A circular polarising filter has two pieces of polarised glass, one fixed and one that rotates.
So when you rotate the filter, one layer of glass moves and one doesn’t. Ok, let’s move on.
How much light is blocked by a Polarising filter?
It varies with the filter, but there is generally about a 1.5-stop reduction in light getting through to the camera sensor.
How do I attach a Polarising filter to my camera lens?
Circular polarising filters are circular, so screw into the filter thread on the front of the lens. You can also use step-down rings to put a larger filter onto smaller lenses.
That was my top tip in the last episode, which applies equally to polarising filters.
How utterly splendid.
Are Polarising filters expensive?
I bought one last week for my Olympus 14-42mm pancake lens, a tiny lens with a 37mm filter thread. And it cost me a tenner.
You can spend as much as you want to be honest, there is so much choice out there. The problem is choosing which one to buy. Go for a decent brand with good reviews.
And the larger the filter, the more expensive it will be, which makes sense, right?
If you are not sure if you want one or want to try one out, buy a cheaper brand and see how you get on.
I bought a new one the other week as I did not have one for that lens, which I use on holiday. The pancake lens makes my Olympus camera so small and unobtrusive, saving space in my luggage.
I will repeat myself from the last episode – buy the best gear you can afford, look after it, and it will serve you well for many years. I have had mine for well over a decade now.
What can I do with a circular polarising filter?
This is the good stuff. I will tell you what I use polarising filters for. And I am talking about what I did last week with that 37mm filter on the tiny pancake lens on the Olympus EM5.
I had the great fortune to be on the wonderful island of Sal, in Cape Verde. It is located about 350 miles off the coast of Africa, level with Senegal.
It was a family holiday, not a photography trip, so my photo-taking opportunities were limited. So I restricted my photography to my favourite place, the beach.
The beaches in Cape Verde are wonderful. And there are lots of them. And the sand is wonderful. The colours in the sea are fantastic. And you can very quickly get to beaches without people on them.
I love these beaches so much that I run there daily. This is a real treat for me, as with my ageing dodgy old knees, I can only run on soft surfaces, and I suffer when running on roads. It turns out that sandy beaches are perfect for me, so I do this.
And when I am out running, guess what—I am looking for things to photograph. Yes, I am looking for that one photo when I go out running. I love it when things come together like this—me running on the beach and my one-photo rule.
One thing that I wanted a photo of was simply the extent of the beach, and the colours of the water. And those lovely white fluffy clouds. Ideal fare for a circular polarising filter, which nicely cut the glare from the sun on the sea and enhanced the blues and greens nicely. And darkened the sky a touch, which is fine, and also made the clouds pop.
An ideal use case for a circular polarising filter.
I then used the same technique on my one photo, which was the photo of a small open hut at a jaunty angle. I captured this looking towards the sea, with a coconut and the Cape Verde flag in the composition -not planted by me – they were already there.
And this gave the photo more depth and colour.
Can’t believe that was already a week ago.
I will post these photos on the podcast website after processing them. OK, that will be only 2 or 3 photos; that is all I want: the hut, and the general view in landscape and portrait orientation.
Other uses of circular polarising filters.
Other than using them on beach shots, I have used them to reduce the reflections of all sorts of things, including many buildings. You can significantly change how a building looks with careful use of a circular polarising filter. But you have to be careful – these photos will look different from those taken without the filter, so you must decide if that is OK. A set of images that look different does not form a coherent set, so you might decide to use the polarising filter for all those photos for consistency.
If I am photographing a building for a client, I will either use no polarising filter or use it for all the shots.
It just depends, but you need to be aware of it.
Now, you will find it said that it works to reduce reflections on non-metallic surfaces only. That does not include things like painted cars, but it does include things like chrome bits. Have a go and see what I mean. But it works a treat on glass.
They work a treat when photographing cars, reducing reflections from glass and painted metal, but again, you have to be careful and make sure that, if you are taking more than one photo, and if you are, why are you, dear listener? That you get consistency from one image to the next.
They are also great for reducing glare from wet leaves, wet roads, and similar situations. They can make clouds pop. Of course, they help cut through reflections in water. They can make any photo with water look much better.
And returning to landscape photography, reducing reflected light can enhance the colours we capture. And they can also help reduce haze.
What is not to love?
The problem with using a circular polarising filter
Sometimes it isn’t easy to see what it is doing. With my non-technical head on, if I can’t see what the filter is doing, it might be because it isn’t doing anything. But, in theory, if I rotate the filter and look at something that has something shiny, then I should be good to go. That is what I do.
Can’t I do this in post processing?
You can replicate the increase in saturation, but you cannot replicate the polarising effect, as this is done by the filter blocking some of the light. So this happens when a photo is taken and cannot be added after in post-processing. Ok, some bright spark will tell me they can do this, but I can’t and don’t care. I prefer to do stuff like this when I take photos. Photography is not about spending hours changing photos on a computer, but about taking photos.
Do the photos not look fake?
Not really. Removing reflections and glare is fine. How could you possibly know that they were there if you removed them when you took the photo?
Blue skies can look darker, but no more so than with you wearing a pair of polarising sunglasses. And that is a point I want to make again – what you are getting using a circular polarising filter is the same effect as wearing a pair of polarising sunglasses.
So things look different, but fake? I will let you decide, but I am OK with this.
Is using a polarising filter cheating?
No. I don’t think so. We are using some science here to change the light that gets through to our camera sensors. We are doing this in a deliberate, conscious way. So no, it is not cheating, it is getting the best out of the light that is there, which is what photography is all about.
Sometimes, saying that you have used a polarising filter may be required, but in the main, this is fine; this is not cheating.
But remember this – I was going to sing this but stopped myself – maybe in the future!
A circular polarising filter reduces circa 1-2 stops of light getting through. A 1/125th second shutter speed without a filter will become 1/30th second with one, so be aware.
And also remember this.
Just remember that photos taken using a circular polarising filter look different from photos taken without a circular polarising filter. Well, you’d hope so, right? Just be aware of this.
But let’s not forget, all those photos we see with those amazing deep blue skies – guess how those photos were probably taken?
Here’s something for you to do
Get a cheap polarising filter that fits your favourite lens, get out there, and try it out and see what you think.
And if you have a pair of polarising sunglasses, do what I do far too often—look at something, rotate your head left and right, and see what happens. Seriously, give this a try!
And let me know how you get on.
What if I use a phone to take photos?
You can get clip-on circular polarising filters for phones. I did not know this. And no, I am not going to try this. I am fortunate enough to have a camera, so I don’t need to do it, but if all you have is a phone, you can have a play too.
What do I do?
I have told you so; I can move on. Just remember that photos taken with one of these filters will look different from those taken without. This might be important to you—it certainly is to me.
And I look after my filters with the same care I do all my gear, which is why they last me so long.
And that is what I do.
Some thoughts from the last episode
Neutral density filters. How utterly splendid. So much so that I bought a variable ND filter to have a play with, but I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, though.
Next episode
Crop factors explained. I need to do this. Unless one of you dear listeners comes up with something better. Get your questions in – the first one I can make an episode out of, I will do just that with, and give you a big old shout-out on that episode.
Crop factors can wait, with your help…..
A quick plug for me and what I do.
Well, why not? If I can’t plug myself on my podcast, where can I?
You have found this podcast, so why not check out the podcast website , photographyexplainedpodcast.com? I have another photography website, rickmcevoyphotography.com, where I write blog posts about my photographs of buildings and other good stuff. On my courses page, you will find my course, How to Become A Real Estate Photographer. You can also find me on YouTube talking about my podcast and my blog – type my name in, and you will soon find me.
Get an email from me.
If you would like a weekly email from me, pleasefill in the box on any of my websites, and every Friday, you will read what I am thinking about photography-related.
That’s enough of the self-promotion.
Ask me a question
If you have a question you would like me to answer or you just want to say hi, email me at sales@rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk, visit the podcast website, or text me from the podcast feed.
It is always lovely to hear from you, dear listeners.
This episode was brought to you by the Cape Verde Tourist Board. Ha, not really, but I am delighted to be able to promote this wonderful place. No, this episode was brought to you by, wait for it, by a cheese and pickle sandwich and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps. Yes, I consumed it before settling in my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy. Thanks again for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast (it says here) and for giving me 27 minutes of your valuable time. I reckon this episode will be about 20-22 minutes long after I have edited out the mistakes and other bad stuff. Blimey – a short episode which makes a nice change.
Thanks for listening
Take care and stay safe.
Cheers from me, Rick
That was the podcast episode
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Thank you
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Cheers from me Rick
