Haze problem: I was shooting at the Forbidden City in Beijing yesterday and most of my photos look washed out and hazy. The day was overcast and there was a good deal of haze in the...

sinderone

I was shooting at the Forbidden City in Beijing yesterday and most of my photos look washed out and hazy. The day was overcast and there was a good deal of haze in the air. I am using a UV filter. Should I be using a polarizer as we'll or can so e of this be pumped up in post?

Help!

legion3 Loc: Deer Park Long Island

UV filters only protect the lens they are not needed on digital cameras

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

sinderone wrote:

Should I be using a polarizer as we'll or can so e of this be pumped up in post?

Help!

Both. The CPL would help at shooting time, and you can increase clarity and contrast during post processing.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Yes. The air pollution in Beijing is so incredibly bad, that there are always suspended particles to create haze.

Still there? Or do you have to go back?

Look at some of the images on Trey Ratcliff's blog, Stuck in Customs. He does a lot of shooting in China and overcomes the haze.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

A friend of mine who was in China told me that the air pollution there is so bad that he had to take up smoking when he got home to clear his lungs out!

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi sinderone, the best filter won't help at all, it's the badly polluted atmosphere and no filters will get rid of that.
John.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

Bob Yankle wrote:

Both. The CPL would help at shooting time, and you can increase clarity and contrast during post processing.

Never a good idea to stack filters, increases the chances of flare tremendously. If you want to use the CPL, remove the 1A or UV first.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

Bob Yankle wrote:

Both. The CPL would help at shooting time, and you can increase clarity and contrast during post processing.

For what we call haze the CPL/PP will help. If it's it's that thick as shit, cut it with a knife variety that many areas of China have, the only thing that would help would be a week long rain and a complete power outage prior to the rain.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

sinderone wrote:

I was shooting at the Forbidden City in Beijing yesterday and most of my photos look washed out and hazy. The day was overcast and there was a good deal of haze in the air. I am using a UV filter. Should I be using a polarizer as we'll or can so e of this be pumped up in post?

Help!

The overcast weather doesn't help. Same for the air pollution. I was there in '98, and air pollution wasn't a problem. You couldn't drink the water, but you could breath the air. Post processing is your best bet. I hope you post some when you get back.

Jerry Green Loc: Huntsville, AL

To improve photos I have had some success in Photoshop by adding a duplicate layer and in the layer blend mode selecting multiply. Drag the slider back until you get a better image. You may have to up the exposure some too.

houdel Loc: Chase, Michigan USA

legion3 wrote:

UV filters only protect the lens they are not needed on digital cameras

Not true. Digital sensors are less sensitive to IV/IR radiation than film but all are still sensitive to some degree.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

Jerry Green wrote:

To improve photos I have had some success in Photoshop by adding a duplicate layer and in the layer blend mode selecting multiply. Drag the slider back until you get a better image. You may have to up the exposure some too.

WOW, just tried this on some photos tyaken in Halong bay in mist and rain it works a treat thank you!! Jerry brilliant

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

My photos in that area of China came out exactly the same way. I was able to deal with the issue quite successfully primarily by using levels and increasing contrast and clarity in pp.

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

windshoppe wrote:

My photos in that area of China came out exactly the same way. I was able to deal with the issue quite successfully primarily by using levels and increasing contrast and clarity in pp.

Yes I was doing the same thing but using the multiply layer gives a much better feeling of depth on my photo's anyway

photoninja1 Loc: Tampa Florida

I used a CPL for all the China pics and had pretty good results. It cuts the reflection that happens in the particulate rich smog, and increases contrast. The UV won't do much in that environment. That said, if your pics lack contrast, try boosting it in LR or PS, and reduct the highlights.