Barry Rice wrote: >Hey Folks, > >Has anyone on this list experimented with cross-polarization flash >techniques? Basically, you put a linear polarizing sheet in front of your >flash, and a linear polarizing filter in front of your lens. Orient the two >filters at 90 degrees to each other. > > Yes, I've used this technique.
You can actually use a circular polarizer on the lens, if you happen to have one already. If you are using continuous lighting instead of flash, this might help your camera with metering more accurately. I've noticed a tiny warming or cooling effect when using the circular polarizer. (Whether it's warmer or cooler, seems to depend on how you rotate the polarizer.) It isn't immediately obvious to most people, and you could probably easily ignore it. It is a rather small effect. Personally, I prefer using linear polarizers in both locations. I just live with the meter being off, and compensate for the exposure. For maximum effect, the only light sources involved should be polarized light sources. If you have some daylight streaming through a window, for example, it can kill most of the effect, because the daylight won't be polarized. One side effect will be the effect of metallic objects sometimes appearing black, or having "black highlights", because the cancellation of light was total on the metallic surface. Colors can look very saturated with this technique. It sometimes leads to very unnatural looking results. One final note: If you orient both polarizers the same way, you can actually -enhance- the amount of glare or gloss in a scene. For example, if you were photographing a glazed ham in a product shot, it might make the glazing look "glassier". take care, Glen -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
