I have never had any formal training in photography. Most of what I "know" is made up of guess work, pieces puzzeled together from forum posts and reviews that I've read, things explained to me by friends, etc. Much of this may be misinterpretations, misunderstood, or at least partially wrong. This is WHY I am here on this forum - to learn!
Where did you get the idea that a "dismally rainy and cloudy day today" is the time to use a polarizer? I have never heard that. It is only effective if the light is polarized. And the only time I have ever got a polarizer to work is on SOME bright days. Not all bright days
My understanding is that there are always at least SOME scattered light. The more cloudy, misty or hazy it is, the more scattered the light is. A Polarizer only allows light through on a narrowly aligned range. Thus the more scattered the light, the more the polarizer will filter out.
I got the idea SOMEWHERE that a polarizer will reduce hazyness.
In terms of already polarized light, such as that on a bright sunny day, rotating the polarizer will cause it to "cut out" a large portion of this light when it is turned to be aligned against the polarization, and let in most light when it aligns with the polarized light.
quote:
"Polarization by scattering is observed as light passes through our atmosphere. The scattered light often produces a glare in the skies. Photographers know that this partial polarization of scattered light leads to photographs characterized by a
washed-out sky. The problem can easily be corrected by the use of a Polaroid filter. As the filter is rotated, the partially polarized light is blocked and the glare is reduced. The photographic secret of capturing a vivid blue sky as the backdrop of a beautiful foreground lies in the physics of polarization and Polaroid filters."
Polarization
Polarization by scattering .... My understanding is that that is the wrong way round. Please someone educate me!
Also the use of a polarizer will reduce light transmission. This would generally not be a good thing on "dismally rainy and cloudy day"
Yes, it filters out a portion of the light - whatever is not aligned with the filter polarization angle.
But it can be helpful on a bright day whether or not the light is polarized. It can be used with ND filters to tone down a brilliant shot enough to get a decent result. (into the sun more or less)
Does anybody have examples to show me this? I don't understand :blushing:...
Whether to use them together is personal preference. Look for vignetting otherwise they can be used together. Some are called hybrid polarizers. That is they are UV and polarizer in the same unit.
OK, got that...
