In case you want to know how to achieve a perfect lens flare in your camera, then this guide will help you explain what flare photography is and how you achieve it in different conditions using your camera. Although light flare is technically a mistake, it may be a lovely one that gives your images an ethereal, dreamy quality. You’ll realize why experienced photographers employ lens flare on a frequent basis once you grasp how it works.
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How To Get Lens Flare Effect? And How To Avoid It?
Lens flare is an effect that is caused by stray light reflecting off your camera lens when you are taking photographs. This results in sunlight streaks and a reduction in contrast and saturation in your shot. It is a unique photographic effect that gives the images more life and drama. Professional photographers take advantage of this flare, and they create some of the coolest images that one could take.
Quick Settings for Lens Flare Settings
Aperture – f/16 – f/22
Focal length – 55mm to 135mm
Contrast Parameter – 0
ISO – 100
Shutter speed – 1/18
Exposure Value – 0
White Balance – Automatic
What Do You Need
Now there are some requirements that must be met for capturing a perfect lens flare in your photographs.
● Having proper light for flare photography is important. It doesn’t matter whether it’s artificial light or natural sunlight; you just need the right amount. But usually, you will get the best shots with natural sunlight.
● The camera Lens is another important factor to consider. Lens flare is more easily achieved with some camera equipment than with others. Because zoom lenses have more inner surfaces for sunlight to reflect off of, they are more prone to create lens flare.
● One more important thing is the location that you choose. Make sure it gives you the angles for capturing perfect light into your shots so that you can achieve those flares.
I’m Glad You’re Here! Photography is a fascinating art form that allows us to capture and preserve moments beyond imagination in time. However, for beginners and amateurs, getting started with photography can be intimidating, especially when it comes to choosing and using the equipment and techniques to follow.
Click below to read a comprehensive article for beginners to master the basics of capturing moments beyond imagination.
How to Achieve Perfect Lens Flare – Step by Step
Once you are prepared with the environment and your equipment, it’s time to get started with your photography techniques. You must follow the instructions given below.
Find Direct Source of Sunlight
By shooting into the sun, you may get a lens flare in no time. First, you have to enable the sun’s rays to strike the lens at a specific angle. What you want to accomplish here is to divert the light such that it reflects numerous times inside before eventually reaching the image sensor, rather than going straight to the sensor.
If you’re shooting indoors, direct the sun’s beams via a window which will make the magic happen. The golden hour is a term that is used in photography to explain the time between dawn and sunset. The sun is at an ideal position for creating superb lens flare during these early and late hours, and light streaks and orbs are plainly apparent.
Pro Tip: The greatest times of day to get the softest, most attractive natural light are sunrise and dusk. It’s the best time of the day to obtain excellent lens flares.
Make Sure The Light Enters Partially
Shooting against the sunlight or any other light source is the only way to get a perfect lens flare. However, natural light is more powerful in delivering better flare. You may partially block the light source if you wish to use lighting effects artistically. It will be much more spectacular if you use the sun as your light source.
Note: Don’t use a lens hood. The hood, in most cases, shields your photographs from the flare. It is, in fact, really significant, but not when capturing golden lens flares. You’ll almost certainly have fairy light flares in your photographs if you remove the lens hood.
Use Suitable Lens for Photography
It’s preferable to use a wide or extremely wide-angle lens to create lens flare photos. Make sure your glass is completely clean. A slick surface will blur, if not entirely ruin, the image. To optimize the impact, meter with the sun in your shot and then change the focal length if required. The number of blades in your lens and the diaphragm have an influence on the sun’s rays; the more blades, the better.
Adjust Your Aperture
The lens flare that you are about to capture can be influenced by the aperture settings that you are currently using. When you close the aperture, you’ll get complimentary lens flares that look like sun stars. If you photograph with a wide and open aperture, on the other hand, the background details will be cleared, and the dreamy, hazy effects created by lens flare will become obvious.
If you want to get incredible photographs, you have to combine shooting in the light with selective focus, dreamy effects, narrow DOF, and lens flare.
Pro Tip: Consider a diaphragm with nine blades, and set your lens to f/11 or even f/16.
A Manual Mode Is Always Preferred
You must utilize manual mode in order to prevent the auto-correction of brightness that is done by your camera in auto mode. This will aid in correctly exposing the subject, and the quality of the photographs will improve as a result. When you are shooting in Auto mode, the subject is underexposed, and, as a result, you will not get the required lens flare. So you must use manual settings at all costs.
Take Some Angles
When photographing lens flares with the sun as your light source, keep in mind that they will vary significantly and fast as the sun moves. You can start shooting a series of test images once you’ve picked a subject and set it in the correct location to figure out which angle would produce the greatest optical flares.
Pro Tip: Consider keeping the sunlight behind your subject when taking photographs. It ensures the best results.
Start Capturing Lens Flare
Taking only one shot greatly reduces your chances of achieving the perfect shot. However, if you take a lot of pictures, there’s a possibility that among the five awful ones, you’ll get two nice or spectacular ones. It will make your task a lot easier for you. Lens flare is frequently created on purpose in photography. So once you are all set, take as many pictures as you like and see the results for yourself.
Extra Tips for Flare Photography
Enhance Your Shots
Filters can be useful for capturing lens flares and enhancing their overall appearance in the images. A Neutral density graduated filter is darker at the top and lighter at the bottom. It can prevent the image from becoming washed out, which is common when photographing in direct sunlight. You can use it for better results.
A UV filter helps protect your camera’s sensor from harm while shooting directly into the sun. Or you can use the polarizing filter, which produces varied effects and can assist improve color saturation, which can be reduced by flares, as well as reduce reflections.
Click in the Evening
Always keep an eye out for methods to acquire distinct or alternate photos by experimenting with different lenses and compositions. Shoot individual light sources, such as a streetlight. Make a note of which lenses and f-stops produce the best-looking flares later while you’re editing the photographs. When it comes time to modify, you’ll have additional alternatives.
What Things Can Help Achieve Better Results For Flare Photography
To achieve better results for capturing a lens flare, you can use extra equipment to ensure image quality is better than ever. You can use these devices.
Tripod and Remote Shutter Controller
The use of a tripod decreases blur caused by camera shake. However, selecting a tiny aperture means the shot will take longer to shoot. The longer it takes, the greater the chance that the camera may shake and create a blur effect. The flare is brighter and crisper when you set a narrow aperture.
A tripod will aid in keeping your images clear and your sun flares crisply. You may further eliminate camera shaking by employing a remote-timed trigger to control a shutter release.
Reflector
If your model stays in the shadow, a reflector might be useful. It will help to brighten the model’s face and improve the overall appearance of the shot. It is because the light is reflected back onto your topic using a reflector. A reflector can be held in your hand, hung on a freestanding base, or set on the ground.
Note: White, silver, and gold cloth is commonly used for reflectors.
How to Create Artificial Lens Flare? – Easy Steps
You can produce fake lens flare when editing and processing if you want to. In terms of editing software, there are some great tools with comprehensive and sophisticated toolkits that allow you to do almost everything you can imagine in an editor, including creating a lens flare.
Here’s how to do it:
● If you use a tool like Lightroom, open the Develop Module and choose the Brush tool.
● Then you can adjust or set the exposure to around +2, the flow to approximately 80%, and the feathering to approximately 12%.
● Now mark the brush tool where you want the lens flare to appear on the picture you are editing.
● Continue clicking to intensify the lens flare.
When Is Lens Flare Not Necessary?
You don’t want flare to wash out your subject and make it unrecognizable. It can be undesirable in some situations. It is because lens flare covering a person’s face, particularly their eyes, forehead, and chin, is unlikely. In deciding whether or not to use lens flare, you still have a lot of creative leeway. If you want to go with simple but vibrant images, you can simply ignore the lens flare effect for the images.
That’s why, if you want to add a lens flare to your composition, you should take many images as optional. Furthermore, you have no way of knowing which camera angle or subject position will result in a spectacular lens flare photo. If you have numerous shots, you may pick the best one, whether it has a flare or not.
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Can You Avoid Lens Flare?
Even the most expensive camera may cause lens flare at some point, despite the fact that many camera lenses have an anti-reflective coating meant to reduce flare. Practice is the greatest method to learn about lens flare.
The more you study light, experiment with composition, and experiment with depth of focus, the more you will have control over how much lens flare appears in your clicks. There are some tips for you with the help of which you can avoid the lens flare effect.
● Make use of a lens hood. A lens hood can also assist prevent lens flare if putting a strong light source behind you isn’t always possible. If you don’t have one, wrap your hand over the side of the lens that is nearest to the strong light source.
● Place the strong light source behind you when shooting. Turn aside from the sun or another light source if it is directly hitting your lens to see if it helps.
● Plan your shots ahead of time. To prevent harsh lighting, photograph around sunrise or sunset.
FAQ’s
Is lens flare beneficial for your shots?
Lens flare can ruin your photos, especially if it covers a large portion of the image. Lens flare isn’t always a terrible thing; in fact, some photographers and videographers employ it to make their photographs and movies appear more theatrical.
Is it possible to remove the lens flare in Lightroom?
Yes, you can easily remove the lens flare in Lightroom. There is a Spot Removal tool available in this tool that is used to eliminate lens flare in Lightroom. If you want to learn how to erase sunspots in Lightroom, this approach is especially useful.
Which is the best lens for flare photography?
The best options available for you in the market are:
- HELIOS 44-2 58mm f2.
- PENTAX Super-Takumar 28mm f3.5.
- NIKON 43-86 AI f3.5.