Use a Polarizer for Exterior Shots

Here are two images of a property we listed and sold this summer. The top one was taken without a polarizer and the bottom one was taken with the same camera and lens but with a polarizer.

Note how the colors are more saturated (particularly the sky) in the one shot with a polarizer. Admittedly these were not shot on the same day so the one on the bottom with a polarizer has a little more direct sun. The unpolarized one is dull and uninteresting compared to the polarized one.

Using a polarizer is something I'd known about for a long time but forgotten until the seller of this home, who is a professional photographer, suggested it. I followed his advice and was jolted by the improvement. Depending on the outdoor lighting situation a polarizer will usually improve the look of the sky and clouds and many times it will make a very dramatic improvement in the look of an external shot of a home. I've tried a polarizer on interior shots but it never seems to make a difference unless there is light reflecting off some shiny surface.

Polarizers are more expensive than ordinary filters but they are worth it. I think the one I have for my 16-35mm zoom lens was around $50. I always carry one and use it for outside shots of homes.

One effect you should be aware of is that when using a polarizer with a wide-angle lens the sky may have an uneven color graduation. This is because the polarizing effect is dependent on the angle the light is coming from and with a wide-angle lens the light hits the polarizer from a wider range of angles. You can see this effect in the sky of the shot above.