So I asked Anthropic’s “Claude” and here’s the reply:
This is a fascinating optical phenomenon! What you're observing is primarily related to
viewing angle and light reflection, not polarization.
Here's what's happening:
The Physics: When you photograph a flat, painted sign on a brick wall at an oblique angle (from the side), the sign can become nearly invisible because:
- Grazing angle reflection: At shallow angles, light from the evening sun reflects off the brick texture and painted surface in ways that minimize contrast. The sign essentially "disappears" into the wall.
- Specular vs. diffuse reflection: From the side, you're seeing mostly diffuse reflection from the brick texture. The paint may have similar reflective properties to the surrounding brick at that angle.
- Contrast collapse: The orange evening light bathes everything in similar warm tones, reducing color and brightness differences between the sign and wall.
When you move to the right side:
- The viewing angle becomes more perpendicular to the sign surface
- The contrast between the painted sign and brick wall dramatically increases
- The sign's colors and graphics become clearly visible
- You can now see the "76" logo and text that were essentially invisible from the oblique approach
Not polarization: While polarization affects how we see reflections (which is why polarizing filters help with glare), this particular effect is dominated by viewing geometry and the interplay between surface texture, paint properties, and incident light angle.
It's a beautiful demonstration of how our perception depends heavily on viewing angle—something photographers and architects understand well!
