sunglasses while taking photos

Vipmediastar_JZ

Just a random topic

One of my hobbies is fishing and besides photography fishing really relaxes me.
I have purchased some cheap 40$ fishing glasses. There is nothing fancy about them just polarized sunglasses and I preffer the yellow/brown tint.
This tint really brings the world to life.

I like to use them while taking photos as I am able to see colors and highlights better. I can see the diffrent shades of light on a subject and especially on landscapes and the sky.

The best way to describe the look is the Fujifilm Velvia film.
I have been using them with my Nikon of course and recently I use the Velvia film simulation on the Fuji xe1. I'll post s
a car sample on the PAD tomorrow with the velvia simulation.

Anybody else use sunglasses while taking photos?

Ade

When I took my first formal photography course in school (some 20-years ago), my instructor R. Skip Kohloff always wore his dark tinted glasses... indoors / outdoors, day / night... when shooting in bright sun and even in the darkroom! In fact for the next 2 years I never saw Skip without his tinted glasses -- I could only assume he even wore them to bed haha.

Skip is a great arts photographer who ran the non-profit Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) for two decades (his wife, Lisbeth, took over as president of CPAC after Skip's tenure). As a a student, I did wonder if his tinted glasses gave him an extra special vision as he'd often see things we students tend to miss. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have an instructor of his caliber until many years after I left school. If only I had paid more attention during class...

In the digital world, the only caveat is that polarized sunglasses might interfere with seeing the LCD panels when viewing at certain angles.

Vipmediastar_JZ

They really make a difference. It really helps when I drive. Once I drove thru a storm and had great visibility with them.

FlowtographyBerlin

You should try to recreate that look with lens filters (stacking a polarizer and some tinted filter) and take pictures like you see things through your shades. You'd actually have to take your shades off while looking through the viewfinder, then, but anyway.

What do you think?

proudgeek

Agreed. If you wear polarized glasses aren't you "fooling" your eye into thinking that you may see one thing when the camera sees another? I'd say that you're better off shooting without glasses and employing a CPL (or applying the effect in post production).

Herre

Actually, you cannot apply polarizing effect in pps, especially when trying to capture images under water(from above) and with glare. That is almost impossible to get right in pp.

I sometimes wear polarised glasses when shooting,, as I need them for optical correction as well as the sun and switching back to my normal glasses is sometimes not practical. Biggest problem I have is the lcd screens as they can be difficult or impossible to read with polarizing glasses

FlowtographyBerlin

Actually, you cannot apply polarizing effect in pps, especially when trying to capture images under water(from above) and with glare.

Exactly. You can try to compensate a little in post, but you definitely cannot get a post effect to do what a polarizer does, which is filtering out stray light. This is the most visible when you actually photograph landscapes.

It's a little bit like sharpening, you can definitely gain a lot by it, but it won't let you recreate the microcontrast of a great lens with a crappy lens.

proudgeek

But how is wearing sunglasses when you shoot going to accomplish anything?

Beso

But how is wearing sunglasses when you shoot going to accomplish anything?

I have amber tinted corrective lens sunglasses which I bought for golf and fishing. I have found that using them allows me to see much more contrast; particularly in a clouded but very bright sky. That being said they are always on top of my head when I am actually shooting for two reasons: 1) I don't need them for close work, and 2) they interfere with my vision through the viewfinder. So, while I have seen the contrast prior to shooting don't see it as much when actually shooting through the viewfinder, which I prefer over the LCD screen in almost all cases. I also shoot my D800 between 1/3 and 1and 1/3 stops underexposed. This helps prevent bright sky or light blowout of the highlights and allows taking advantage of the full dynamic range of the sensor. It is easily corrected PP.

Bottom line: Sunglasses can help cut glare and increase visible contrast but you will still have to use a polarizing filter on your camera to cut glare. I also nearly always have a UV filter on when shooting outdoors.

FlowtographyBerlin

But how is wearing sunglasses when you shoot going to accomplish anything?

As far as I understood it, it enhances vision, and the image that he sees. Which is the point that we're making: The camera won't capture the image as he sees it. Hence the idea to put the "sunglasses" on the lens, so the camera records the image in a way similar to what he likes so much about the sunglasses.

proudgeek

I think we're arguing different points. I wear sunglasses while looking, but not necessarily shooting, because I want to see what the camera sees. I also use a polarizing filter. The former impacts what my eye sees, while the latter impacts what my camera records.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Great comments everybody.
I went on a last minute mini vacation so I didn't put a velvia picture as promised. I did put one today on the PAD. There is another one on flickr of a playground but they don't show exactly what I'm talking about but those two pics are vivid.
Basically with the glasses I see the scene in a diffrent way.
For example a tree in the middle of a lawn will cast a shadow. Without glasses I just see a shadow and nothing else and a boring scene.
With the glasses I see a tree and two shades and two diffrent colors of grass and the leaves on the tree will reveal different shades of light.

I'll try to post a pic soon. As I have another trip this week ill make time to post a pic.
When I use the glasses I'm basically just looking for composition. I set the camera to A priority when doing non paid gigs.
Now with the Fuji I can see in camera what the picture will look like on the LCD depends on the angle but I can still see.
On the Nikon I see what I see with my glasses but the camera doesn't produce the image as I see it but I can from memory do that in post if needed.
The Fuji velvia is pretty much 90% Identical to my glasses except the white balance. In this case I would need to warm up the white balance a bit to match it completely.

My trip this weekend was in Springfield and with the glasses I benefited of the scenery. Whenever I saw a contrast in the corn fields and other landscapes that's what I pointed the camera at and took a pic.

spraynpray

Sometimes the threads on NR are informative and educational, sometimes controversial and sometimes speculative, but this one is.... nonsense (IMHO).

Msmoto

I do not wear any glasses when with camera except for some reading glasses around my neck. My brown tinted sunglasses make the world very bright and polarization does as well. But, if one is shooting pictures it seems intuitive one wants to be observing with the same color as the camera sees. If I am using a polarizing filter, which is rare, I am doing so for a specific purpose.

There may be some use for a dark lens when looking at contrast in the scene. But, this can be accomplished by squinting and seeing the shadows drop out. I remember when we were shooting 35mm film, movies, the director would look at a scene through a very dark glass for the purpose stated above.

FlowtographyBerlin

Sometimes the threads on NR are informative and educational, sometimes controversial and sometimes speculative, but this one is.... nonsense (IMHO).

Hahaha, nice comment. I think it only appears nonsense because there are so many different things mixed up. It's absolutely no nonsense that in a scene of shadows and bright light you can get a much more defined look by using polarizer filters on your sunglasses. No, I mean on the LCD. No, I mean on the lens, but then take off your sunglasses beforehand. Or something. ;-)

Elvishefer

At the very least, as photographers we should be interested in protecting our eyesight - wearing quality sunglasses is a good idea. You can always take them off to shoot, or look around or whatever.

Be good to your eyes, you won't get more on warranty.

Msmoto

Actually, in place of sunglasses, I often wear a cyclists cap with a brim which can be easily upturned when shooting verticals. Keeps the sun out of my eyes...the important part.

spraynpray

@FlowtographyBerlin: You nailed it. LOL!

Vipmediastar_JZ

Actually, in place of sunglasses, I often wear a cyclists cap with a brim which can be easily upturned when shooting verticals. Keeps the sun out of my eyes...the important part.

Yes. I need a diffrent type of hat. I used to wear s baseball hat but I found myself turning it back as well. I stop wearing it for that reason and I got hot easier. I'll look into a cyclist hat.