Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Initial test for a newly bought K&F Concept Nano-C circular polarizer.  The first image has the polarizer set to minimize the reflection and glare from the flower and leaves.  The second image has the polarizer rotated 90 degrees.  The light was harsh and directional. To me, the polarizer did reduce the glare and reflections from the flower and leaves, particularly visible in the second image. The first image, however, looks a little flat to me. The polarizer works, but shooting these hibiscus flowers under better lighting conditions, i.e., even and less directional, would do wonders.  --- Handling of reflections from water or glass would be an interesting next test. --- Canon EOS M6 Canon EFM 15-45mm pancake lens K&F Concept Nano-C HMC CPL 49mm Both images shot in raw and converted via Canon DPP4.0 and slightly cropped.

These orchids were shot using the "Portrait" camera setting of an iPhone. After asking me to "move further away," the phone's AI gave quite an impressive output, blurring the background. The second image above is without the "computational photography" applied. I would say that this setting works well in creating images that focus on the main subject and blur distracting elements like the fence in the background. Here's another shot — the first image is without the computational effect and the second has it applied. It still works, though notice that the stems of the flower on the upper left of the image and below the main bunch at the center have been blurred, too — the flowers appear to be floating in the air. This setting is good if you want to focus on a single subject, but look out for unexpected blurring effects.