Cross polarization demonstration

Normal

Cross polarized:

Jim - serious question, which do you like better, and why?

Tim

I like the cross polarized one better, but if it weren’t a demo, I would have left a little specularity in the image.

Other way around for me.

Did you use polarized flash in conjunction with a circular polarizer on your lens? (As in the shoe demo on YouTube.)

When I look back at old film photos, I don't like the effect of my polarizer. Sky is too purple - opposite of ESPN where sky is too cyan.

Polarized flash with straight polarizer on lens.

That sounds like some kind of hue twist in the film.

I use linear polarizers most of the times. In my experience they introduce less colour artifacts. The need in circular ones IMHO is overstated by marketing (the FUD thing).

I can see a reduction in the reflections on the leaves in the crossed polariser version, but that reduction is what I would expect to see with normal polariser use.
How was your 'normal' shot taken, a polariser on the lens but unpolarised lighting, might explain my confusion.

When I use crossed polarisers it's to get very different effects like this:
stressed stencil by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

No polarizers for lens or lighting for the normal shot. Light was turned down to compensate.

Great demonstration! As I've mentioned in another thread, having a gallery with a kind of before/after or A/B slider would be a great thing to have for things like that...

I feel like in some situations it's great to have a couple of versions like that so you can create different blends afterwards. I would probably go with something like this:

The great thing about doing that after the fact, is that you can apply/limit a certain look to certain parts. I have a polarizer somewhere but not used it in ages. Need to go look for it though - it certainly can be a very effective tool.

Good idea.

I like that the specular highlights are removed, but the colors seem overly subdued. I'm thinking some PP would restore the color and result in the best of both worlds.

Isn't PDAF sometimes hampered by linear polarizers?

When I have time to tune in the polarizing angle I also have time for manual focus ;)

I don't use autofocus for macro and still life work, which is where I sometimes use cross polarization.