Crystal photography polarized light

Aspirin crystals evaporated from ethol alcohol solution. How to photograph crystals for time lapse videos using polarized light from a computer monitor. Crystals viewed and photographed through a polarized light microscope can display the most intense and beautiful colours I have ever seen in nature. Viewing microscopic crystals under crossed-polarized lighting. Mindblowing Colours using Polarized Light. Polarized light photography (PL) is a useful method for the documentation of works of art and archaeology. Copyright Thomas L. Webster 2004

The physics made very simple... Light rays are composed of waves of light that vibrate in all planes. When light rays pass through a polarizing filter only those light rays that are vibrating parallel to the privileged direction of the polarizing filter are able to pass through the filter.

This results in light rays that are all vibrating in the same plane of travel.

Crystals photographed with a polarizing microscope can form beautiful abstract images which attracts those that are curious or those that want.

The more oblique the light rays that strike the front surface of the filter the more these oblique light rays are filtered out. Perhaps you have noticed in your own photography that polarizing filters have their greatest effect on a landscape photograph when the scene being photographed is oriented 90° to the sun.

In this orientation, the polarizing filter is blocking out the majority of oblique light rays that contribute to reflections and flare and thereby increases the saturation of the photograph.

Polarizing