1. Polarizer Lenses
A polarizing filter, used for both color and black-and-white
photography, is colourless and does not affect colour balance, but
filters out light with a particular direction of polarisation. This reduces
oblique reflections from non-metallic surfaces, can darken the sky in
colour photography, and can saturate the image more by
eliminating unwanted reflections.
Polarising filters change the way that your camera sees and treats
light. Particularly – when using one you’ll notice a change in how
your camera sees reflections and glare. As a result it also has the
ability to change the vibrancy of some colours in shots.

2.  Water – When shooting a picture of water adjusting your polarising
filter will mean you see into the water differently, as they cut out the
glare you often get and they can also change the colour of the
water.
 Sky – Similarly, the color of sky can change remarkably using a
polarising filter. Rotating the filter you’ll see a blue sky change from a
light pale blue color to a vibrant and deep blue color (depending
upon where the sun is). A polarising filter can cut out a lot of the
smoggy haze that is often in city shots.
 Color – Polarizing filters cut down the reflection that many objects
have (even those that you might not think reflect at all). This makes
the colours of some of these objects more vibrant. For example, if
filming in a garden foliage on trees can be made to look greener
than what they would without the filter.
 Other Reflections – Shooting through glass can be a real challenge,
so shooting using polarising filter can definitely help with cutting
down distracting reflections or glare. Similarly photographing shiny
objects (like a new car for instance) with a polarising filter will
change the way reflections are treated.
Where they work best

3. One factor to consider with polarising filters is the
fact that they can change the exposure
needed for a shot. When you see a polarising
filter you’ll notice that it looks quite a lot like a
sunglasses lens. The filter is dark and works by
cutting our some of the aspects of light. As a
result less light gets through to your image
sensor and it is advised to either use longer
shutter speeds, a larger aperture or to increase
the ISO setting to account for this. The
difference that needs to be accounted for is 1-
2 stops. Because of this, it is not advised to use
a polarizing lens at night.
Polarisers Change Exposure

4. Polariser lens are fairly easy to use. The most common
type of lens used is a circular polarising filter, which
allows for adjustments of how it impacts the shots,
by rotating the front element of the filter. While
doing this, the colours and reflections in the shot will
begin to change. Continually changing it until you
are happy with what can be seen in the shot, and
then continue to use the camera normal.
For the best shots, it is advised to try to keep the sun
at 90° to the where is being filmed(ie to the side –
not at the back and not shooting into the sun). This
helps the polarizer to have the greatest effect.
Also, shooting in low light, overcast days or at night
with a polarizer is not advisable – it’s like wearing
sunglasses indoors and will cut down the amount of
light getting through to your image sensor.
How to use

5.  Polarising filters reduce the amount of light entering your
camera, forcing you to use longer exposures. This in turn
increases the risk of camera-shake, so when using
polarizing filters, always take care to keep your camera
steady.
 Polarising filters will only have the effect on bright sunny
days. If it’s overcast or cloudy, they’ll have little or no
effect, so it’s best to remove them. Likewise indoors or at
night.
 Sometimes polarising filters can make the sky an unrealistic
colour. To avoid this, adjust the outer ring for a lesser
effect, and also consider taking two shots, one with the
polarizer and one without in case you end up preferring
the latter.
Hazards

6. The extent that polarising filters work varies
from situation to situation (often dependant
upon the amount of sunlight) so it won’t
have a massive impact in all situations – but
in some (especially bright sunny days) the
impact can be quite staggering.
Varied Results

7. A ‘normal’ shot taken with out the The same shot taken using the lens
lens.
Example Shots