Rainbow colors

[Skoropada]

I've been practicing recently with cross polarization.
This technique will render very colorful results using materials easily available.



All you need is:

• A source of polarized light
• A circular polarizer filter
• Transparent/Translucet plastic subjects

A source of polarized light.

This might sound tricky, but it's actually quite easy to find. All LCDs displays have a built in polarizer filter. You can see this by turning a polarizer filter in front of the screen, you´ll notice that at one point it will go black.
Don't worry, you don't have to take it appart, you just need to use your screen (LCD monitor or laptop screen) as the light source. Make sure to turn your screen fully white. To do that, you can, for example, create a new image in the Paint application and activate the full screen mode (F11)

If you want to, you can get a polarizer film and place it in front of any light source, but that isn't as easy to get as a LCD screen.



A circular polarizer filter.

You need it to bring out the colors. Any CPL will work.

Plastic subjects.

Cristaline plastic objects have the ability to turn the lights polarization plane. This effect varies with the amount of the stress that the plastic has accumulated. By placing those objects between a polarizer light source and a polarizer filter, the different polarization planes deviations will show as different colors.



This optical phenomenon cuts down the light, so you'll probably need a tripod, as the exposure time will be probably longer than a second.

This technique was used by engineers to perform stress analysis on plastic models of different structures (bridges, buildings, etc.). It helped them to identify critical points and improve their desings. In this digital era, the modelling is now done with software, so cross polarization is not that popular, but you can have fun with it anyway.

Why don't you try this out and share with us the results?

[Glayva]

WOW, now this IS something I must try!! I can see this thread running for some time. I am sure our many members will come up with some fascinating images. Many thanks, Gabriel, for this excellent write up and for posting.

[clayhilda55]

first look I thought its edited.
anything you put/mixed to bring the rainbow color out?

nice work.

[fotoworx]

Very interesting effects!!!! I'm with Glayva, I can see this threat running for a while. Must give this a try!!!


Photography Tips

[Skoropada]

Originally Posted by clayhilda55

first look I thought its edited.
anything you put/mixed to bring the rainbow color out?

nice work.

The results are almost straight from the camera, the only post processing I did was to make the color pop a little more. I only increased the contrast, the saturation and the black point in Lightroom.

[BuddhaPi]

Well just another item to add to the to do list!! TFS

[faeriegodess612]

Could you possibly achieve that same result by putting one lens of a pair of 3D glasses over the camera lens before taking the shot? Not the ones that are blue and red, the ones that when you look at a light source with them on, it gives off a rainbow from that light. Like, one trick I remember before digital came about was using your sunglasses over the camera lens to take a sunset shot. Like a ghetto polarized filter,...I think.

[Skoropada]

Originally Posted by faeriegodess612

Could you possibly achieve that same result by putting one lens of a pair of 3D glasses over the camera lens before taking the shot? Not the ones that are blue and red, the ones that when you look at a light source with them on, it gives off a rainbow from that light. Like, one trick I remember before digital came about was using your sunglasses over the camera lens to take a sunset shot. Like a ghetto polarized filter,...I think.

I guess that those 3D glasses you mention can work as a DIY polarizer filter, it's a matter of trying.
Why don't you post a picture taken that way?

[faeriegodess612]

If I can find some of those type 3D glasses I'll try. With Christmas coming up and Halloween right around the corner I might be able to find something.