cross-polarization

This is how polarized light works and how you can use polarizing filters to see crazy effects in-camera

Sep 21, 2022 by John Aldred Add Comment

polarizing filters are something that pretty much all of us own as photographers. It may not be something we really use all that often, but most of us have at least one somewhere in our pile of camera bags filled with gear. But what exactly is polarized light? And how can we used to go beyond the usual popping of skies and foliage in landscapes?

Well, in this video from The Science Asylum, we take a deeper look into light polarization. We learn about what it is, how it works and how we can utilise it along with polarizing filters in order to see things that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

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How to create this epic rainbow eye effect in camera

Jan 20, 2021 by Maximilian Simson Add Comment

When I was photographing eyes a few weeks ago I came across a fascinating phenomenon:

The human iris and especially blue irises produce rainbow coloured gradients under cross polarization.

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Birefringence: How to photograph rainbow colors at home

Jan 19, 2021 by Maximilian Simson 3 Comments

What does “Cross Polarization” mean?

Cross polarization is a technique that allows us to virtually eliminate specular highlights from images by using polarized light, but it also holds a lot of creative potential, as it can be used to bring out eye-catching rainbow gradients in subjects such as plastics, ice and certain crystals.

In the industry this technique is used e.g. to locate areas of stress in plastic, but it also holds a lot of potential for interesting macro images:

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What is cross polarization and how you can use it in your photography

Jan 18, 2021 by Maximilian Simson Add Comment

Cross polarization is a technique that uses two polarizing filters – one on the light source and on e on the camera lens – to get rid of unwanted specular reflections.

The following slideshow illustrates the effect at varying degrees, depending on the orientation of the filters with respect to each other.

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