8/12/2019 Tips - Using a Polariser for Landscape Photography
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The right skyPolarisers are ideal for when you’re shooting
architecture in scenic surroundings and under
blue skies – you’ll get the best results with blue skies
that have some light cloud to create interest. We
headed off to Wells in Somerset to photograph thecity’s famous cathedral on a sunny day.
Camera setupFor this shoot you’ll need to set your camera up
on a tripod; as we’ll be shooting with a narrow
aperture to keep everything sharp your shutter speed
will be fairly slow to compensate for the reduced light
entering the camera, and polarisers also reduce the
amount of light reaching your sensor, which will further
slow your shutter speed.
Shooting settingsSet your camera to Manual mode for full control
over the aperture and shutter. Set a narrow
aperture of f/11 and keep your ISO low, ideally at 100,for top-quality images. Half-press the shutter to meter
the scene, then turn the dial to adjust the shutter speed
until the exposure indicator is in the middle to obtain
a balanced exposure – you may need to adjust the
shutter speed once the polariser is fitted.
Fit the polariserFor this shoot we used a circular polariser that
screws on to the end of the lens. There are many
brands available, and SRB Photographic has a full
range, with prices starting at £16 for Canon kit lenses.
Make sure the filter is the correct size to fit your lens
(see Phrase Book). You can adjust the intensity of thepolarising effect by rotating the outer ring of the filter.
Compose and focusFor the best results your subject needs to be at
90 degrees to the sun. To help you compose your
shot, and so that you can see the effect of the polariser
as you adjust the outer ring, switch to Live View mode;
this will also help with focusing. Switch your lens to
manual focus, zoom the Live View image and scroll
to an area of detail, then adjust the focus using the
manual focusing ring until the detail appears sharp.
Shadows and highlightsWith the polariser fitted you may need to tweak
the shutter speed to obtain a balanced exposure.
If your subject is in shadow you may also want tobracket-expose two or three shots to ensure that you
capture the full range of shadow and highlight detail
in the scene, and then combine the images in post-
production if need be. Refer to your camera’s manual
for how to set up AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing).
8/12/2019 Tips - Using a Polariser for Landscape Photography
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ACR adjustmentsOpen polariser_start_1.dng and polariser_
start_2.dng in Camera Raw in Elements. Select
polariser_start_1.dng by clicking its thumbnail in the
film strip; as we’re combining two images, we only need
to get the sky looking right in this shot. Set Exposure to
-0.15 and Blacks to +6 to darken the sky a little, and setVibrance to +20 to boost the blues.
Combine the images Next target polariser_start_2.dng thumbnail; for
this shot we’re focusing on the cathedral and the
foreground. Set Contrast to +15, Shadows to +8 and
Vibrance to 20. Click Select All, and click Open Images
to open both shots in Elements’ Expert/Full Edit mode.
Add the start_2 image to the start_1 image as a new
layer (see Super Tip!, right), then take the Magic Wand
tool, set Tolerance to 55 and tick Contiguous, and click
on a mid-blue in the sky to select the entire sky. Go to
Select > Feather, enter 3 pixels and click OK.
Contrast and colour Clone out the people in front of the cathedral as
well if you want. Next add a Levels adjustment
layer, and set the Shadows slider to 20, the Midtones
slider to 1.07 and the Highlights slider to 237 to boost
the contrast. Finally, to give the blue sky a bit more of a
boost, add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, select
Blues from the menu and set Saturation to +20.
Polarisingfilter prosand cons
WI THOU T POLARISER WI TH POLARISER
WIDE-ANGLE EFFEC T
Although a polarising filter is
great for darkening blue skies, you do need to be aware of
how wide you’re shooting. If you’re shooting with a wide-angle lens
the filter can affect some areas of the sky more than others, so it’s
advisable not to shoot too wide, as the uneven polarising effect will
produce unnatural-looking results. For the best results set your
camera up on a tripod, and activate Live View mode so that you
can preview the polarising effect; if you’re shooting fairly wide you
may need to rotate the filter to avoid an uneven effect.
Reveal the polarised skyThe mask will be based on the selection, so the
sky will be revealed and the rest of the image
hidden. We want to reveal the filtered sky on the layer
below, however, so press Ctrl+I to invert the mask. Next
click the top layer, and press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E to createa merged layer. Take the Clone Stamp tool, and clone
out the two blurred birds in front of the cathedral, on
the left and in the centre. Alt-click to sample suitable
areas of detail, and clone these pixels over the birds.