Filter for glacier photos?

[wa.mama]

Does anyone have recommendations for types of filters to use when photographing glaciers? I'm thinking that there might be glare and refracted light from the ice, and I also want to be able to bring out the spectrum of blues. Am using an Olympus C-8080.

 

Thanks!

[zackiedawg]

I would think a polarizer should handle the glare just fine, as well as reduce your light 1/2 stop or so...should be fine for shooting so much white. Your camera probably has a 'scene' mode for snow as well, which will set the aperature to a smaller setting to avoid blowing out highlights and retaining highlight detail with better contrast. You can try that, or just set the aperature down a bit yourself in AP or manual mode.

 

I don't think you need a color filter for the blues...but the one thing I would do first to ensure you don't lose the desirable blue highlights within the glaciers would be to bring a grey card for manually setting the white balance. A clean, white sheet of paper can substitute as well. Put the camera's white balance into Manual mode, then set the white balance off the card or paper. That way, the extra blue in the glacier won't be misread by the camera's automatic white balance as excessively 'cool'...most white balances in digital cameras are kept in auto mode, where they sample and set the white balance based on the scene being shot. On a glacier, which does tend to have some blues, the camera will be fooled into thinking there is too much blue in the color temperature, and will adjust the white balance too warm.

 

Other than the polarizer and the white balance mode...you shouldn't need to do much else!

[mountainhouse]

Putting a polarizer on will not reduce the light. The camera will compensate. A camera's light meter assumes the scene you're shooting is normal - half bright and half dark. With snow, there's too much bright, and it gets a bit confused. You have to help it a bit.

 

Try to use the camera's display to judge the photo. It's common for cameras to take pictures of snow scenes that are too dark. Get used to the +/- adjustment on the camera.

 

The polarizer will do a nice job of making the blue sky more intense, so that's nice. Otherwise, you should be able to make any adjustments using a good photo editing program like Photoshop Elements.

 

However, you might consider a sun shade. Always and important accessory. Great for cutting down glare.

 

Have fun,

[wa.mama]

Thanks for the hints -

 

resetting the white balance is a great idea, as is the lens shade (never had to use that before)

 

At least with the digital photos I won't get back home to find all my photos dark. Now if I can just manage not to fall in a crevasse while framing that perfect shot......

[mountainhouse]

as is the lens shade (never had to use that before)

 

The lens shade is not just for use on the glacier. You really should make a habit of putting it on your camera whenever you're outside on a sunny day. Good shooting,

[The Big Booper]

I had trouble shooting the Mendenhall glacier. If I exposed for the surrounding area then the glacier was overposed and just a sheer white mass; if I exposed for the glacier then the surrounding areas were severly under exposed. I then exposed in the middle and got a so-so shot. All this on a cloudy day with no shadows.

 

A day or so later, leafing through a photo book on Juneau I saw a great shot of the glacier. The photographer (obviously a local pro) had gone on a sunny day and took his picture when the glacier was in shadow and the area to the right was sunny. This solved the lighting problem, but is not really practical for cruisers who are there for just a few hours on one day. :(

[pierces]

On our last trip the sun wasn't an issue, the fog was. The pictures came out just like we say it, very surreal. The only thing missing was the cracking an booming in the distance. In bright sun, it's a different story.

 

If it's sunny, try the following:

 

Set your white balance to "Sunny" (if it's sunny...remember it IS Alaska!), That will keep the camera from compensating for the blues.

 

Bracket. The rule on snow it to compensate your exposure +1 - +2 stops to keep the camera from rendering the scene as an average, making the snow come out gray. Click off several shots, adjusting the exposure each time. Or, you can auto-bracket either 3 or 5 exposures with the C-8080. Check your manual.

 

Exposure: Putting on a polarizer DOES reduce light: 1½-2 stops. The camera will compensate, but will likely slow the shutter speed down to do it. Make sure that it doesn't go too low for handheld shots or use a tripod or monopod. The polarizer will make the sky more dramatic, but the effect is best when the sun is at a 90° angle to the shot. Try it with and without.

 

Post processing: When you edit the image for printing, contrast and level adjustments can make the blues really stand out. Below is an example of out-of the camera (which was cloase to what we saw) vs. processed for contrast.

 

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Dave

[wa.mama]

All great suggestions. Will experiment; the bracketing idea is a good one. Thanks,