Polarizing Filter

[Darkninja462]

If you were going to the Zoo would this be a good option to eliminate the appearance of glass ? Or is there any other smart ways to do it and get good results ?

Many Thanks

Ninja

[edbayani]

in some yes, but polarizing filters remove glare at a certain angle only. the other option is by postprocessing.

[theArchitect]

Yes it would help to remove some reflections although you'll also loose a stop or two of light which you will need to compensate for.

In my experience, the glass in most zoos is covered in finger prints and scratches. I guess you could always take a cloth and wipe the glass to get a clearer shot.

[kirbinster]

Originally Posted by theArchitect

....although you'll also loose a stop or two of light which you will need to compensate for.

There is no need to compensate as the meter reads through the filter and will give you the correct reading.

Standing at a 30 to 45 degree angle to the glass should help. Also shoot with a fairly wide open lens and the shallow depth of field should partly take the glass out of play.

[dcclark]

If the glass is indoors, then the loss of 1 or 2 stops of light (from the filter) may be a bigger problem (due to slow shutter speed) than the glare... it's worth a try though.

If you are close enough to the glass, it won't appear in the photo at all, and that should also help to remove glare.

[douglas]

Originally Posted by kirbinster

There is no need to compensate as the meter reads through the filter and will give you the correct reading.

Standing at a 30 to 45 degree angle to the glass should help. Also shoot with a fairly wide open lens and the shallow depth of field should partly take the glass out of play.

I agree but would add to a wide aperture, manually focus on the subject you are after.

[Darkninja462]

Ok, thanks for you help guys & girls
Shall take that in to consideration what would be positive aspects of purchasing a Polarizing Filter ? not just in this situation like any photo ? or is that a to broad a question.

Ninja

[dcclark]

You'll often hear that polarizers are great for making blue skies bluer (and making those puffy white clouds really pop out). This is true -- and it's quite dramatic -- but that's not all.

Polarizers do generally intensify colors on sunny days, because they remove reflections from leaves, grass, buildings, etc. This isn't limited just to skies.

In my mind, one of the best uses for polarizers is to remove reflections from glass and water. You can use a polarizer to see "into" water which is totally opaque from reflections!

The only problem -- as mentioned above -- is that a polarizer does remove about 1 or 2 stops of light. On bright sunny days, this is no problem, but on dimmer days (or indoors), it can be a bit of an issue.

[Rehesan]

I went to San Diego Zoo on Monday and I did some behind the glass shots using a polarizer filter and got some decent results.

In my experience the filter helps you to get rid of some glare on the glass surfaces, but does not eliminate it completely, you need to find a good angle to shoot in order to let the polarizer filter to do the job and also to get the less glare side of the glass.

Good luck!.