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Tutorials & Tips
February 04
16 min. to read
Lens flare is one more piece of evidence that imperfection can sometimes be a brilliant idea.
Artistic lens flare is a good technique to spice up your photography. Start creating dreamy pictures with this ultimate beginnerâs guide.
Sunrise and sunset are the best times of day to achieve the softest, most desirable natural light. Theyâre the ideal time to get great lens flares. In photography, we call this period around sunrise and sunset the golden hour. At these early and late hours, the sun is at the optimal angle for achieving quality lens flare, and light streaks and orbs are clearly visible.
Another advantage of shooting during the golden hour is that you donât have to be in an awkward yoga position to get the desired effect, as you would during other times of the day.
What does a lens hood do? Normally, the hood protects your images from flare. Itâs actually a very important thing, but not when it comes to shooting golden lens flares. By removing the lens hood, youâll most likely achieve fairy light flares in your images.
To make lens flare images with light orbs, streaks, and tear-shaped blobs, itâs best to use a wide or extremely wide-angle lens. Ensure that your glass is absolutely clean. A greasy surface will blur the image, if not spoil it completely. Meter with the sun in your image, then adjust the focal length if necessary â set it to f/11 or even f/16 to maximize the effect. The lens diaphragm and the number of blades your lens has will have an effect on the sun rays â the more blades the better. Go, for example, with a nine-bladed diaphragm.
To get the desired results, try capturing flares in the forest or framing individual trees. But shooting in a variety of situations will breed authentic images. In the photo below, the neon pink circles of stray light unveil the unique atmosphere of Hong Kong.
Where it wonât work so well is when the sun is relatively weak, behind clouds, or setting into a hazy horizon.
Lens flare can be instantly achieved by shooting into the sun. Just allow the sunlight to hit the lens at the right angle. What you need to do here is to redirect the light so that instead of directly reaching the sensor it reflects several times internally before hitting the sensor.
This is what makes the magic happen. If youâre shooting indoors, use a window as the source of sun rays.
You can create optical flares by shooting right into the sun or any other light source. But if you want to add some creativity, you can partially block the natural light source. If youâre using the sun as your light source, that will be even more magical. But even for an indoor photoshoot, the partially blocked light coming through the window will still have the same effect.
Once youâve chosen a subject and placed it in the desired position, start shooting a series of test shots to find out which angle will give the best optical flares. Keep in mind that when capturing lens flares with the sun as your light source, theyâll change dramatically and quickly as the sun constantly moves.
Your aperture can affect the appearance of the lens flare. If you close down the aperture, youâll create lens flares that look like sun-stars. On the other hand, if you decide to shoot with a wide open aperture, the background details will smooth out and the dreamy, hazy effects that lens flare creates will be visible.
The easiest option is to shoot with your camera in aperture priority mode (AV on a Canon, A on a Nikon). This way, youâll be able to easily adjust the aperture. And if your camera is set to automatically select the ISO, it will also automatically choose the shutter speed.
This allows you to quickly switch between apertures and see the difference it makes to your golden lens flares.
When you shoot directly into a light source, your camera will have a tough time focusing and will blur background. To prevent this:
Professional post-processing isnât rocket science anymore. With Luminar 3, a robust and powerful photo enhancer and editor, any photographer with any skill level can make amazing images. In the photo below, you can see how to boost the lens flare effect using just the Sun Rays filter and a signature preset by Evgeny Tchebotarev called Nomad L 1 Hint of Pink. The result is awesome and takes only a few minutes to achieve.
Before - Photo by Sabina Iljasova
After - Photo by Sabina Iljasova
Thereâs one more way to create mind-blowing images with artistic flares using Luminar 3. The texture overlay technique lets you blend two images. Apply one image with flares on another one you want to get creative with. Change the amount of the texture effect, and use blend modes for more options.
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This tool allows you to play with different colors of flares. If youâre fond of red flares or maybe want to add a blue lens flare, just find a suitable picture on the internet and blend it with yours.
Photo by Juliana Chyzhova
You can create a lens flare artificially using other photo editing software like Photoshop. Photoshop allows you to play with colors and create a red lens flare (or maybe a blue lens flare) with a gradient tool or a special filter. And it allows flexibility in adjusting your flare after itâs been applied. Letâs see how it works.
When catching optical flares, filters can be helpful.
Play around with filters and find out how they affect the golden flares in your images.
You can get incredible photos as a result of shooting into the sun + selective focus + shallow depth of field + lens flare. Follow these easy steps and youâll automatically get a high-quality shot.
The smaller the aperture, the sharper and clearer the flare. But using a small aperture also means it will take more time to take the photo. And the longer it takes, the more possibility there is for the camera to shake and cause blur.
A tripod eliminates blur due to camera shaking. Using a tripod will help keep your photos sharp and your sun flares crisp. By using a remote timer trigger to control a shutter release, youâll reduce camera shake even more.
A reflector is used to reflect light back onto your subject. Reflectors are usually made of white, silver, or gold fabric. You can hold a reflector in your hand, hang it on a freestanding base, or place it on the ground.
Using a reflector can be effective if your model stays in the shade. It will aid in brightening the modelâs face, making the photo look more pleasing.
Now letâs talk about when optical flares should be used and when they shouldnât.
When it comes to portraits, lens flare has been considered an annoying flaw that damages photographs and should be eliminated with the use of a lens hood. But just like the bokeh effect, optical flare has become popular among photographers for shooting individuals. It adds a dreamlike haze to portraits. Itâs also easy to achieve; all you need is a source of bright light (the sun in our case) and a willing model.
The key to getting amazing lens flares is in the positioning, namely in the angle at which light bounces off the front element of your lens. Positioning yourself so that the sun is about 45Âș from the front element is a good starting point. Then, while peering through the viewfinder, slowly turn the camera away and towards the sunburst, avoiding looking directly at the sun, until you achieve the desired optical flare.
The size of the front element of your lens will play a role in the type of lens flare you achieve. Larger lenses tend to generate a soft haze, while smaller lenses provide clear rings and orbs of light. Experiment with your lenses, discover which provides the most attention-grabbing flare, and create images that leave everyone speechless.
There are still cases when lens flare is not desirable. Itâs unlikely you want lens flare to cover a person's face, especially their eyes, forehead, and chin. You donât want your subject to be washed out by flare and become unrecognizable.
You still have a lot of creative freedom in your decision to include lens flare. Thatâs why itâs so important to take multiple shots whenever you decide to include lens flare as part of your composition. Moreover, you canât know for sure which camera angle or subject position will work for achieving a great lens flare shot. If you have multiple shots, you can choose the best, whether with or without flare.
Luminar 4
Your photography. Elevated.
Replace the sky in your photos, instantly!
Boost details with AI Structure. Discover more amazing tools in the new Luminar 4.
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