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.