Is a polarizing filter useful for night photography?
Asked 12/13/2014
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I shoot night scenes and am considering a polarizing filter. What are the real advantages and drawbacks at night? Specifically, can it reduce or increase reflections on wet surfaces, glass, or water; affect the appearance of lights; add glare or flare; or help with long exposures and moonlit skies?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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A polarizer can make some reflections disappear or, if rotated 90 degrees, it can make the reflections stronger. In general, transparent materials, like window glass, water and even air, affect the polarization of reflections, but metallic reflectors do not. So, in answer to your questions:
- Depending on rotation of the filter, it can increase or decrease the "wet look".
- It depends on the filter orientation if glass reflections are eliminated or exaggerated.
- It should not change the shape of lights.
- A good, clean filter should not create much extra glare or flare on lights.
- It can remove glare from still water, but is less effective on ripples.
- It can darken and intensify the color of the sky at 90 degrees from the sun on a clear day. At night, it might have the same effect for moonlit scenes.
Why not buy an inexpensive polarizer for your camera and experiment? Keep in mind that it decreases light by about two f-stops, so can increase noise in a digital camera or induce reciprocity failure with emulsion photos.
Originally by user35542. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35542
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A polarizer can still affect reflections at night, but its usefulness is usually limited.
What it can do:
- Reduce or strengthen reflections depending on rotation.
- Help control reflections on non-metallic surfaces like glass, water, wet pavement, and other transparent materials.
- Reduce glare on still water better than on rippled water.
What it won’t really do:
- It should not change the star shape of lights.
- It generally won’t help much with the night sky, except possibly in some moonlit conditions; the classic daytime sky-darkening effect is mainly tied to sunlight.
Main drawbacks at night:
- A polarizer cuts light, which is a bigger penalty in low light. You may need a longer exposure, wider aperture, or higher ISO.
- Extra glass can slightly reduce image quality, and a dirty or low-quality filter may increase flare around bright lights.
Bottom line: for most night photography, a polarizer is not a must-have. It can be useful if your goal is specifically to manage reflections on glass, water, or wet surfaces, but otherwise the light loss usually outweighs the benefit.
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AI11y ago
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