Polarizing filter

[timno1]

When the QE2 and the Queen Victoria were in Sydney recently,i thought i would take my Canon EOS 350D down to the harbour to capture the moment.When i got home and took a look at my pics i was pretty happy with the results,until i saw other pics from more professional photographers.Compared to theirs,mine look somewhat washed-out,especially the blue sky,which almost looks white in some cases,and not as sharp and clear.
I was wondering if a polarizing filter would fix this problem.Any help will be much appreciated.

Here is 1 example of my pics from that day.

[Mr Darcy]

Polarizers can help increasing saturation in the sky, but it depends on the angle you are shooting relative to the sun. Maximum effect is at 90 degrees. If you use a wide angle the variation can be quite noticeable,
Another effect of polarizers is to reduce reflections. In this photo, it would probably mke a marked effect on the water. '
You could possibly achieve a similar result from PP by selectively increasing saturation in the sky.

[AndyL]

Hi Tim,

A CPL will help with water to some degree... See Mr Darcy's comments.

To my eye this image could have used slightly less exposure (~0.3) and lacks contrast (curves?) which could be (non-commital - I am just an amateur) the biggest issue in comparison to those "pro" shots. It also needs sharpening.
I had a quick play (read quick and dirty) by reducing the exposure slightly, making the image just a hair warmer plus the application of USM with a large radius and small amount to increase contrast (could have used other tools to do this) followed USM with a small radius and large (ish) amount for sharpening - it came up looking a whole lot better (IMO ). Have a go.

Cheers

[timno1]

Thanks for the advice guys.I have photoshop so i can fiddle around with my pics a bit on there,but i thought i would post a raw pic here,just to give an example of a pic straight from my camera.
I know that professional photographers have a much better camera than mine,but do they usually need to touch up there pics using photoshop or a similar program,or are most their pics normally perfect straight from the camera?

[Mr Darcy]

I did a quick test run
All photos JPG straight from camera. (EXIF intact) All I did was rename them.
All photos taken within a minute or so. Exposure was changed so that Camera Meter read Correct Exposure.
WB was for full sun Check the EXIF for other settings The Polariser is a "cheap" CPL (Branded Calumnet)
Warning these are JPG straight from camera so they are BIG - 6 to 8 MB each
DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT CHECKING THEM OUT FROM DIALUP


Photo #1 No CPL Sun at my back:
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/NoPolariserSunAtBack.JPG

Photo #2 CPL set for maximum effect Sun at my back
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/PolariserSetAtMaxEffectSunAtBack.JPG

Photo #3 CPL set for minimum effect Sun at my back
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/PolariserSetAtMinEffectSunAtBack.JPG

Photo #4 No CPL Sun over my left shoulder
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/NoPolariserSunAtSide.JPG

Photo #5 CPL set for maximum effect. Sun over my left shoulder
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/PolariserMaxEffectSunAtSide.JPG

Photo #6 CPL set for minimum effect. Sun over my left shoulder
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/PolariserAtMinEffectSunAtSide.JPG

Photo #7 FishEye Lens CPL set for maximum effect. Sun over my left shoulder
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/UltraWideSunAtSide.JPG

Photo #8 FishEye Lens CPL set for maximum effect. Sun at my back
http://www.swtd.com.au/images/GJK/UltraWideSunAtBack.JPG PS these are still loading as I submit this. Some photos may be missing for a while

[timno1]

Thank you so much for that test Mr Darcy,it really shows off the effect of a polarizing filter.I love the colour of the blue sky in that second shot.Im guessing that it may be a bit strong if you use the filter on maximum effect for every shot.
I bought myself a Visico 77mm polarizing filter for my 20mm wide angle lens last weekend,but i havent had a chance to really try it out yet.Now after seeing your test shots,i am very keen to get down to Sydney Harbour again and compare my new shots with the old ones.

[Mr Darcy]

It will also be intructive to pay close attention to the leaves.

I learned a bit too. a CPL behaves differently to a Linear polariser. The last time I did a series like this was about 30 years ago with a LPL My hazy memory indicates different results on the wide angle. Mind you, I didn't have a fish eye back then. That may explain the difference.

[timno1]

I did a test of pretty much the same shot,with and without a polarizing filter.I think the results speak for themselves.

WITH POLARIZER


WITHOUT POLARIZER

[Mr Darcy]

So do you get down to Lavender Bay often? It is a lovely spot, but not on the regular visitor trail. My daughter used to go to flute lessons just up the hill from there. I often waited for her about where you took that picture.

[timno1]

I have been down there a few times to take some photos and basically just take in the scenery.I used to always get my Sydney Harbour shots from the other side of Luna Park,near the wharf,but i just stumbled on Lavender Bay aboyt 2 years ago.Its a beautiful setting isnt it,with all the small boats around.