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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Circular Polarizer for sports?
Jeff Lack, Photographer
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Midlothian | VA | USA | Posted: 9:48 AM on 11.22.10 |
| ->> I'm shooting an afternoon football game this weekend and was wondering if using a circular polarizer would be useful in reducing the glare off the running backs face guard? Since it is a day game with plenty of sun, I'm thinking the stop loss wouldn't that critical. |
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Dave Prelosky, Photographer
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Lower Burrell | Pa | US | Posted: 10:02 AM on 11.22.10 |
->> Jeff,
If you can figure out a way to keep the angular relationship between your camera, the sun , and players constant, a polarizer might help. Otherwise, I believe not. |
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Andrew Malana, Photographer
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San Diego/Tokyo | CA | USA | Posted: 11:42 AM on 11.22.10 |
| ->> How about just exposing for the glare and getting real tight. Might look cool. |
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Bryan Hulse, Photographer
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Nashville | Tn | USA | Posted: 8:02 PM on 11.22.10 |
| ->> I've used one when shooting in the sun, backlit (with my 200-400). It works great. |
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Phil Hawkins, Photographer
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Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 2:59 AM on 11.23.10 |
->> It'll also boost your color saturation and give you a dynamic range advantage due to the brights not blowing out as much. Be sure of your shadow situation, though, plays running in and out of shadows will play heck on your results; a shot that looks good in full sunlight will go almost completely dark in shade with polarizers. Just be ready for the adjustments you're going to have to make in that regard. But if most of your playing field is going to be exposed to full sunlight, I say go for it, it'll really make your results pop!
Jeff's comment about the sun's angle is a point well taken, because circular polarization effects maximize with a 90-degree angle on the sun's rays. But the angular issue is really not an issue in this kind of shooting because you are always going to be keeping more detail in your brights by reducing glare and then boosting your color saturation as well. |
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Kevin Krows, Photographer
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Forsyth | IL | USA | Posted: 8:18 AM on 11.23.10 |
| ->> When shooting into the sun I always push the exposure compenstation (in Av mode) to make sure the faces are exposed correctly and shoot tighter (as Andrew suggested). I would think a polarizer would create more issues for you. Just my 2 cents. |
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Bob Donnan, Photographer
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Winston-Salem | NC | USA | Posted: 11:01 AM on 11.23.10 |
->> Jeff,
Polarizers are great for photographs that are wider and show more of the scene. They add that punch in saturation that Phil talked about and can be really beautiful images. In my experience they are not as helpful when you are trying to do general game coverage and shooting tight sports images. If you do use it for a lot of the football game you have to be really careful when you move to different spots around the field to keep the filter oriented correctly. |
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