Circular Polarizer for water sports

[Bill S]

I am going to take a lot of water skiing and wakeboarding shots this summer.
I will use my 70-200 2.8 IS on my MKII. Will a circular polarizer improve the photos?
I have seen photo’s with and without but never a water sports photo?
Most of my lenses use a 77mm filter so I will have additional opportunities to use it.

I have seen the recent thread on this topic but I don’t think it addresses this question.

Any sample photos are appreciated.

[SkipD]

Originally Posted by Bill S

I am going to take a lot of water skiing and wakeboarding shots this summer.
I will use my 70-200 2.8 IS on my MKII. Will a circular polarizer improve the photos?
I have seen photo’s with and without but never a water sports photo?
Most of my lenses use a 77mm filter so I will have additional opportunities to use it.

I have seen the recent thread on this topic but I don’t think it addresses this question.

Any sample photos are appreciated.

Nobody can give you an answer that will mean anything. Whether or not a CP filter will do anything for YOUR photos depends a lot on the actual conditions where you are that day. The bottom line - you should have a CP filter in your bag. Try it whenever you think it might help and discover what it will do for that scene.

[MDJAK]

Skip knows far more than I do (and I mean that in the most complimentary terms) and in light of his answer I'm hesitant to answer, but I will.

Any time I've taken shots on a sunny day around water (sorry I don't have any examples with me right now) a circular polarizer has definitely improved the picture. One way it's done so is by darkening and bringing out the blue in the sky. Another is by removing most, but not all, of the glare coming off the water.

And as Skip said, it's a great filter to have.

mark

[SkipD]

Bill - to explain my answer above, the things that are variables that will really affect how a CP works include:

Is the sun out or is the sun hidden by overcast?
Where is the sun relative to the line between you and the subject?
How high above the water are you? (In other words - are you looking across the water or down onto it?)

These and other factors will affect how a CP can modify the photograph. That's why I feel that sample photos from others - while good to look at for ideas - don't have anything to do with the actual conditions and situations where you might want to photograph water sports (or anything outdoors where a CP filter might be advantageous).

[Bill S]

Skip, I have read about CP's and those effects. My lake runs north south so the sun is always 90 degrees to the action. I'll try it out and see what happens. I was curious if anyone had done and waterskiing shot.s

[Neilyb]

The CP will mean you are taking shots 2 stops slower.