Embarassing polariser question

[ddraver@hotmail.com]

Hi Guys

I'm ashamed to be asking this but I fear I ve been screwing this up for a year or so now!! When you rotate the polariser on a landscape photo do you make the sky darker or lighter? Ive been making it lighter (although not Disnep bright!) but I read in a book that that is not the idea?

Can someone help me without spluttering too much?

Cheers
DaveK

[ianpinion]

Hi Davek,

What should happen with a polarising filter is that the white clouds turn whiter and the blue background goes a deeper shade of blue. It does this by blocking out the reflected light that causes the colour saturation in your pictures to fade. It can also make reflective surfaces look see through, such as water or glass.

Hope this helps.

[chris-p]

Are you happy with the pictures you've taken? If so then it doesn't matter.

As Ian said, usually you would use a polariser to increase the blues and make the sky look "deeper" with clouds that pop out more but you don't have to.

I was told that a polariser was for getting rid of reflections on non-metallic surfaces (like water) but I've ended up using it enhance reflections rather than remove them.

[Cutter]

Do what I did point your camera to the sky, pref with some blue and cloud and take 3 or 4 photos as you rotate your polarizer and look at the difference its amazing. First time I use it it washed everything out ,nobody told me I had to rotate it LOL

[biriani]

there is a small white mark on the rim of the moving part which if you point towards the sun, gives you the optimum effect. Any change to its position after that is your preference, as with the polariser what you see is what you get.

[JohnDoyle2]

Taking a photo of the Sky with a wide angle Lens and with a polariser fitted, can result in abnormal sky shades!