Do You Use A Polarizer Filter Shooting B&W ?

DF · Apr 16, 2021

Sometimes when capturing a desirable scene, and, it's at or near 90 degrees to the sun, I'll polarize. Sometimes, though not always, it can enhance - skies darker/clouds pop out, improves building exteriors on glass/metallic buildings to name a couple. Red might enhance the sky portion - but ruins the rest.
But I find most don't, thinking polarizers are mainly for color, or they can burn-in or dodge for enhancements.

Kodachromeguy · Apr 16, 2021

When I drove through the Texas Panhandle, the clouds and sky overwhelmed everything. Here is an example of a Fuji Acros frame from Chillicothe, Texas, taken with a polarizer. West Texas is fascinating.

Update, more Chillicothe here:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2020/03/small-towns-in-texas-panhandle.html

removed account4 · Apr 16, 2021

I only used a Polarization filter once.. it’s been 30 years...
It worked ok. I used it to remove the reflections of a river when
I photographed the remains of a water wheel.

AgX · Apr 17, 2021

DF said:
But I find most don't, thinking polarizers are mainly for color, or they can burn-in or dodge for enhancements.

Well, I learned about polarizers as being a means to cancel reflections, either specular ones or image forming ones as in window panes.
I am even quite sure that the sky darkening is not even mentioned in any of my older textbooks at all.

Thus I am surprised about mainly relating a polarizer to sky darkening or colour saturating, a stand that seems the major one here/today.

henpe · Apr 17, 2021

I mostly shoot B&W landscapes and sometimes use polarizes to enhance contrast, darken skies and to remove glaring highlights in foilage etc. They can be great for making water really black, if that is what the composition requires. Naturally, the effect varies with the scene's relative angle towards the light source (sun). I find it easy, though, to immediately judge the effect from using a polarizer by just looking at the scene through the polarize turning it 90 degr back and forth. It much harder to pre-vizualize the effect of a color filter, in my opinion. A bad thing about them is that they are sometimes hard to use with wide angle lenses, as the range of incident angles from the sun is much wider and the effect of the polarizer hence varies across the view.

foc · Apr 17, 2021

henpe said:
I mostly shoot B&W landscapes and sometimes use polarizes to enhance contrast, darken skies and to remove glaring highlights in foilage etc. They can be great for making water really black, if that is what the composition requires. Naturally, the effect varies with the scene's relative angle towards the light source (sun). I find it easy, though, to immediately judge the effect from using a polarizer by just looking at the scene through the polarize turning it 90 degr back and forth

+1

Nicholas Lindan · Apr 17, 2021

I'll often go the whole hog with a polarizer combined with a 25A red filter. It's all about getting the camera to see it the same way you see it in your head - do whatever it takes.

gone · Apr 17, 2021

I'd use one if I was shooting where reflections in glass caused an issue, otherwise, no. Had too many past problems w/ uneven tones in the skies.

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 17, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
When I drove through the Texas Panhandle, the clouds and sky overwhelmed everything. Here is an example of a Fuji Acros frame from Chillicothe, Texas, taken with a polarizer. West Texas is fascinating.

View attachment 272457

That's a great shot. Reminds me of when I was stationed in San Antonio decades ago in the USAF and hitched to Mexico. The little towns along the way were like that.

I like the cactus next to the building. It reminds me of the joke about the cowboy from Texas who was getting drunk in the saloon. Suddenly, he jumped off the barstool, ran out of the saloon down the street and out of town. The townsfolks followed him wondering what was up. When he got to this cactus bush looking like the one in your picture, he stripped off all his clothes and jumped in. He was howling with pain until the folks were able to extract him. "Why did you do it?" they asked. "Well," said the cowboy, "It just seemed like a good idea at the time."

Reminds me of some of the dumb things I've done in life. Just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Wayne · Apr 17, 2021

Wayne · Apr 17, 2021

Nicholas Lindan said:
I'll often go the whole hog with a polarizer combined with a 25A red filter. It's all about getting the camera to see it the same way you see it in your head - do whatever it takes.

I've spent all these years trying to learn to see in my head what the camera and film see...

runswithsizzers · Apr 17, 2021

I do sometimes use a polarizing filter with b&w film, usually under conditions which could also benefit from a yellow filter. I often carry two cameras, one with b&w film and the other with color. If switching the same lens back and forth between color and b&w, I can leave the polarizing filter mounted - but not the yellow one!

pentaxuser · Apr 17, 2021

jnantz said:
I only used. Polarization filter once.. it’s been 30 years...
It worked ok, I

Once in 30 years? Did you stop then because you were worried about polarisation sudden death syndrome like Xtol

pentaxuser

Wayne · Apr 17, 2021

I don't even own a polarizing filter.

AgX · Apr 17, 2021

To me it is one of the most basic accessories, I always have included when having filters added to a kit.
Actually a polarizer was the very first filter I ever bought.

Interesting how approaches vary, as already indicated in my post #4.

removed account4 · Apr 17, 2021

pentaxuser said:
Once in 30 years? Did you stop then because you were worried about polarisation sudden death syndrome like Xtol

pentaxuser

naa
never really found a need to use it again. I wish there was a reason like it gave me lame negatives but the negatives /prints were really nice. ( It for a National Register Submission for 18th Century Iron Furnace in New York State. Our team uncovered part of the power system ( wheel pit ) which was underwater and impossible to photograph without reflections). If I had a need to use it again I would, but I kind of like reflections and glare. LOL

AgX · Apr 17, 2021

Yes, a polarizer surely would be detrimental to your photographs. As said approaches vary.

DF · Apr 17, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
When I drove through the Texas Panhandle, the clouds and sky overwhelmed everything. Here is an example of a Fuji Acros frame from Chillicothe, Texas, taken with a polarizer. West Texas is fascinating.

Update, more Chillicothe here:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2020/03/small-towns-in-texas-panhandle.html

View attachment 272457

Ah - all the more reason to use a polarizer. What a splendid shot!

Kodachromeguy · Apr 17, 2021

DF said:
Ah - all the more reason to use a polarizer. What a splendid shot!

Thank you. The sky just overwhelms, as do the huge open vistas in west Texas.

More big sky and faded towns:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2020/04/small-towns-in-texas-panhandle-on-way.html

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2020/04/small-towns-in-texas-panhandle-quanah.html

GLS · Apr 18, 2021

Yes, sometimes. As others have said, it can not only darken skies but also reduce reflections on foliage/water/glass, or cut through atmospheric haze. All potentially desirable effects.

Here's an example where I used a polariser in conjunction with an orange filter:

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 18, 2021

GLS said:
Yes, sometimes. As others have said, it can not only darken skies but also reduce reflections on foliage/water/glass, or cut through atmospheric haze. All potentially desirable effects.

+1. Eliminating reflections off foliage and other objects also saturate colors. I'm careful using it though with Velvia as the colors are already saturated due to the characteristics of that film. It can be overdone and suck the life out of the scene as here with this digital shot https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/5345028154/in/album-72157625671136053/.

So if I'm using a polarizer with any film (or even digitally), I may turn it away from maximum to reduce the polarizing effect.

GLS · Apr 18, 2021

Alan Edward Klein said:
Eliminating reflections off foliage and other objects also saturate colors. I'm careful using it though with Velvia as the colors are already saturated due to the characteristics of that film. It can be overdone and suck the life out of the scene

True enough, but the OP was talking specifically about B&W.

DF · Apr 19, 2021

Nicholas Lindan said:
I'll often go the whole hog with a polarizer combined with a 25A red filter. It's all about getting the camera to see it the same way you see it in your head - do whatever it takes.[/QUOT
Polarizer & Red filter - wooo, that's alot of filtering. I've tried that but for me, one's the limit. I believe the image itself degrades with 2 or more....

Sirius Glass · Apr 19, 2021

Yes, I just used it at Yosemite because I left my other filters and home and I wanted to darken the sky, bring out the clouds better ... I also checked to see that I was not loosing reflections.

Gimenosaiz · May 7, 2021

GLS said:
Yes, sometimes. As others have said, it can not only darken skies but also reduce reflections on foliage/water/glass, or cut through atmospheric haze. All potentially desirable effects.

Here's an example where I used a polariser in conjunction with an orange filter:

Hi!

I also use this combination of polarizer with yellow or orange filter.
BTW... amazing landscape!!

Cheers
Antonio

Do You Use A Polarizer Filter Shooting B&W ?

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