The polarization filter is considered by many photography experts as one of the most critical filters for outdoor photography. This is largely because it creates effects that cannot be duplicated through digital manipulation. The filter is mounted onto the lens and features a rotating component. The user then looks through the viewfinder and turns the filter until they achieve the desired result. There are many shooting environments in which the polarization filter can help to reproduce the scene's hues and tones faithfully.
Sky Photography
Polarization lenses are especially useful for photographing the sky. When photographing the sky without a polarization filter the user will capture glare that is reflecting off of water droplets in the atmosphere. Because glare is composed of white light from the sun, it has the effect of blanching out light from other sources. The polarization filter compensates for these water droplets by diffusing the glare. The result is that the sky's natural hues appear bolder and more saturated. Note, however, that polarization filters will not garner this benefit with sunset and sunrise shots because the effect is nullified if the sun is shot from head-on.
Water
Traditional photography methods tend to render water as an almost metallic or glass surface. The reflective nature of water is picked up readily with typical lenses and filters. Polarization filters, in contrast, soften water's natural reflectivity by breaking the light wave down. The higher from the water's surface the photographer is, the more transparent the water's surface will appear. Additionally, shooting running water such as found in a stream will result in water that appears extremely soft and almost milky.
Underwater Photography
Still-life underwater photography can also benefit from polarization filters. All water contains particles that reflect light. Though each individual particle's contribution is extremely small, the overall effect can drown out the already limited color available under water. The polarization filter neutralizes this reflection, allowing the object's natural hues to come out. This is important since the dominant color under water is blue. For this reason, the user is encouraged to always get as close to the subject as possible, whether or not they are using a filter.
Urban Photography
Polarization filters come in very handy when shooting in the urban setting because they minimize glare and the sheen that occurs on vehicles, windshields, buildings and windows. A polarization lens used in the urban environment can aid the photographer in capturing the scene's true colors and vitality. The filter will also darken the sky, helping shots of skyscrapers to stand out. Photographers who attempt to shoot a store from the outside will often capture any reflections on the windows. The polarization filter significantly reduces these ghost images.
Tags: polarization filter, light from, natural hues, Photography Polarization, under water, water droplets, water surface