Have you ever wondered why postcards have rich blue skies and crystal-clear water, but your photos don't? In this article, we'll show you how to get the left-hand picture, when your camera gives you the right-hand one, all without using a computer.

Both photos taken on a $100 compact camera, with no computer enhancing

Use your sunnies

Postcard photographers use an expensive filter called a “polariser” on the lens. On a sunny Brisbane day, you can do the same by taking photos through a pair of polarising sunglasses. The polariser cuts down the amount of light reflecting from transparent things, such as water, glass and the atmosphere itself. It lets you see through the shiny reflections, letting the natural colours burst through.

To get the strongest effect on the sky, you have to tilt the sunglasses so that the nose bridge points towards the sun like this:

Polarising sunglasses can improve other types of photos too. Try holding the glasses at different angles to see where the effect is strongest:

1. Cut down reflections when photographing a car to let the paintwork colours show through.
2. Cut down reflections when photographing plants with waxy, shiny leaves. I always use a polariser when shooting in rainforest.
3. Cut down reflections when shooting through a window
4. Many things have a thin film of grease on them, making them shiny: polarising sunnies at the right angle will help to let the real colours come through.

You can tell if your sunglasses are polarising by tilting your head from side to side (ear-to-shoulder) – if a blue sky looks different at different angles, they're polarising. If not, they're not, and they won't help.

A good-quality polarising filter for a big lens can cost $200, and it won't fit on most compact cameras. You can get polarising sunnies for $5 from an op shop. They won't do much for your image, but they'll do wonders for your photos.

Turn up the colours

The final part to getting that postcard look is to turn up the colours in your digital camera. Some cameras do this automatically in their “Landscape” modes. Others need you to dive under the bonnet to tweak the settings. This will affect all subsequent photos, so remember to turn it back to “natural” afterwards. Some people like to leave the colours boosted all the time.

You don't have to do this on your camera; you could get exactly the same effect afterwards on the computer by boosting the “saturation” control.

How to turn up the colours on some common cameras:

Canon - most A series, S series and digital Ixus cameras

In Manual mode (camera symbol with an M), press FUNC./SET. Press the down arrow to reach the “Custom Colour” menu – probably a picture of a paintbrush with the word “OFF”. Press the right arrow to select “V” for “Vivid”, and press FUNC./SET again.

Canon digital EOS SLRs

Set the mode dial to Landscape (the symbol is a picture of mountains)

Kodak - most C series, DX series, V series, and Z series cameras:

Press the MENU button, and use the up/down arrows to select Color Mode, and press OK. Make sure that “Saturated Color” is highlighted, and press OK. Not all Kodaks have this setting.

Nikon digital SLRs

Set the mode dial to Landscape (the symbol is a picture of a mountain)

Panasonic - most FS, FX, FZ, LC, LZ and TZ series

Press MENU/SET, and use the down arrow to select COL.MODE, COLOR MODE, or PICT.ADJ. (depending on your model) - it's below the bottom of the screen. Press the right arrow, and use the up/down arrows to select VIVID, and press MENU/SET again. On some models, there's SATURATION instead of VIVID - set the SATURATION to "HIGH".

Most Sony W series

With the mode set to P, press the MENU button, and use the left/right arrows to select COLOR (or SATURATION on some models), and use the up/down arrows to select RICH (or to turn up the saturation on some models).

A big thanks to Alice Dabelstein from our January 12th 2008 workshop for sparking the idea of sunglasses doing the job of polarising filters.

Enjoy!

A big thanks to Alice Dabelstein from our January 12th 2008 workshop for sparking the idea of sunglasses doing the job of polarising filters.

Comments? Suggestions? Have we made a mistake? We'd love to hear from you. Write to us at courses@takebetterphotos.com.au