Ads by Google
Why do I need a circular polarizer?
As you progress further into photography you might have gotten to a point where you’re looking into how filters can improve your images. There are many different filters that can solve different problems. There are Neutral Density (ND) filters that can be employed to slow down your shutter speed. Maybe it’s a bright day and you want some motion blur on a waterfall, you could either use a ND filter or you could just forget the filter and shoot when the light is good. I know there are cases when you have to use an ND, but they can often be avoided by shooting at a different time of day.
What does a CPL do?
The first thing people discover they can do with their CPL is darken the sky to create more impact and make the clouds more dramatic. While this is useful, you have to be exactly 90 degrees from the sun in order for the effect to work evenly across the whole sky. You’ll see instances where only one corner of your sky is darkened when you’re positioned at a different angle. In my work, the composition is everything, so I’m not going to move around to get a weaker composition in order to maximize the polarizing affect on the sky. I prefer to darken the sky in post production by adding black to the blue channel. This trick looks natural and you aren’t plagued by it only working in a single corner. So I don’t usually use a CPL to darken my skies because I can usually do a better job in post.
Pixel camera accessory Circular Polarizer CPL filter 52mm