What is a polarizer and how to use it?

Polarizer, also called polarizer, referred to as PL mirror, is a kind of color filter. According to the different mechanisms of filtering polarized light, polarizers can be divided into two types: circular polarizer (CPL) and linear polarizer (LPL), which have the same function.

Next, let's take a look at the user's guide to the polarizer.

What is a polarizer?

Polarizer, also called polarizer, referred to as PL mirror, is a kind of color filter. The excellent function of polarizer is that it can selectively let the light that vibrates in a certain direction pass through, and it is often used to eliminate or weaken the strong reflection of non-metallic surface in color and black-and-white photography, thus eliminating or reducing the light spot. For example, in landscape and scenery photography, it is often used to show the texture of objects with strong reflection, highlight the scenery behind the glass, darken the sky and show blue sky and white clouds.

According to different mechanisms of filtering polarized light, polarizers can be divided into circular polarizer (CPL) and linear polarizer (LPL).

Guide to the use of polarizers

Install the filter correctly.

Screw the filter on the lens, keep it clean, wipe off the dust carefully, and avoid touching the lens with your fingers. Then slowly turn the polarizer, and you will find the change of light in the picture. The illumination direction of the light source and the angle of the reflecting surface will affect the final effect.

Set shutter speed

Pay attention to the setting of shutter speed when using polarizer. Polarizers can make colors more saturated, but also reduce the amount of light entering the lens. In order to slow down the shutter speed and affect the image clarity, it is best to ensure a safe shutter speed or use a tripod to shoot.

Rotating polarizer

After adjusting the exposure parameters, you can start shooting. Choose the composition, look at the viewfinder and turn the polarizer. You will find that the color of the sky changes greatly. You can also experience the influence of different light on polarizer from another angle.

Practical skills

Pay attention to the position of the light source

When using a polarizer, always keep in mind the position and angle of the light source to determine your shooting angle. When the sunlight is perpendicular to the shooting angle, the polarizer can play the greatest role. Adjust the shooting angle according to the effect you want to achieve.

Pay attention to the color change of the sky.

Because the effect of polarizer will change according to the angle of light source, there may be uneven brightness of sky color when shooting scenes. At this time, it is necessary to adjust the angle of the camera and rotate the polarizer to achieve the most natural effect.

Don't overuse the polarizer.

Although the polarizer is very useful, we should also grasp the degree. For example, with a wide-angle lens, the angle of the sky and the sun is different, and the darkening effect will be uneven. There is also the need to prevent the color from being too full, which will also damage the image quality.

Ensure correct exposure

Polarizers can reduce the amount of light entering the lens, and the shutter speed will slow down accordingly. At this time, it is necessary to prevent camera shake, check the histogram in time, and ensure the exposure of photos.

Eliminate the subtle influence of strong light and reflection, and improve the quality of landscape photos

Some landscape photos don't have calm water and large blue sky, but you still need a polarizer. For example, in the waterfall scene below, a polarizer is installed, which eliminates the pale reflection on the rocks below the picture, enhances the saturation of green moss and plants, and enriches the details of the picture. When shooting, don't just twist the polarizer in front of the lens, turn the lens more to find the most suitable effect. You can take more pictures and enlarge them on the computer to see the subtle changes brought about by different lens angles.