Outdoor Ontario

Photography => Ontario Birds => Topic started by: Brian Bailey on January 23, 2011, 08:57:37 PM

Title: Northern Shrike with & without Polarizer
Post by: Brian Bailey on January 23, 2011, 08:57:37 PM

This is a bit of a follow-up to a discussion in the Equipment & Technique forum (http://outdoorontario.net/birds/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3803).  I was fortunate today to find one of the Northern Shrikes at Sam Smith Park in a fairly cooperative mood.  (He seemed to be actively hunting rather than parked in the highest treetop.)  I took a couple of shots before thinking that with the bright sunshine & clear blue sky, I ought to put on a polarizer.  The vantage point on these two shots isn't identical, but it's pretty close.

Here's without a polarizer:
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4y4gRnPOTPU/TTzUXcAsnRI/AAAAAAAABq4/nTJYtb0lChs/s640/N%20Shrike%20without%20Polaraizer.jpg) (http://picasaweb.google.com/n.stop.photo/Birds#5565556738644286738)
and with a polarizer:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4y4gRnPOTPU/TTzUXt6JJBI/AAAAAAAABq8/yMyacjIvCk4/s640/N%20Shrike%20Polarized.jpg) (http://picasaweb.google.com/n.stop.photo/Birds#5565556743448634386)
A disadvantage of polarizers is that they reduce the amount of light getting through the lens and to the sensor.  Normally that means a slower shutter speed, but in this situation, I had to overexposed the unpolarized shot 1-1/3 stops.  In the second shot, the polarizer darkened the sky enough that I shot with no compensation.  Result:  both shots at F8 with the polarized version at a slightly faster shutter speed.

Here's another shot of the same bird in a different tree, again with the polarizer:
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4y4gRnPOTPU/TTzUXig0E9I/AAAAAAAABrA/ofZ8iXzUqN8/s800/N%20Shrike%20Profile.jpg) (http://picasaweb.google.com/n.stop.photo/Birds#5565556740389606354)

Aside for the shrikes, the park was very quiet.

BB

Title:
Post by: Luv2Bird on January 23, 2011, 10:27:39 PM

Number 3 is a lovely shotc!  Great to see the effect of the polarizer .  Great post !

Title:
Post by: JW Mills on January 24, 2011, 10:15:11 PM

Quote from: "Luv2Bird"

Number 3 is a lovely shotc!  Great to see the effect of the polarizer .  Great post !

I agree!

Title:
Post by: ravynne40 on January 25, 2011, 06:25:41 PM

Thanks for sharing the different looks of the polarizer. very nice!