A simple five-step approach to obtain whole-field isoclinics and isochromatics using a conventional reflection polariscope is discussed. The only additional requirement was a suitable digital camera, while the benchmark problem of a ring under diametral compression was selected to show the effectiveness of the method. The methodology was extended to obtain the isoclinic and isochromatic fields for the problem of an angle bracket and for fields in a flange joint due to assembly stresses. The first four arrangements of the five-step method corresponded to a plane polariscope based polarization stepping algorithm and these optical arrangements were easily set in the commercially available reflection polariscope. The fifth optical arrangement was the conventional dark field circular polariscope arrangement that was easily set in the polariscope.