OPEN FORUM: Lens Flare

Camera Settings: Above Left: f/11 1/100sec. 24mm focal length Above Right: f/22 1/60sec. 97mm focal length both shots using a 1D Mark II with a 24-105 lens.

Question from Michelle of Grace & Joy Photography

“I love your new format! So great! Ok, I have a question for Friday – I don’t think I’m going to describe this very well, so I’ll include a picture and maybe you can tell me how I could have achieved what I was hoping for, cause I just don’t think I got it!) I really love the prism effect that can be achieved by the sun in the afternoon, but I am, clearly, not figuring out how to use it effectively nor in an appealing manner. thanks. — Michelle”

Open Forum Friday Answer:
Thanks Michelle for writing in. This is difficult for most people because you are dealing with something that you cannot necessarily see in camera. (Usually you cannot see anything because the sun is so bright!) Knowing this, using lens flare is one of those things that will start to become intuitive with practice. A major component is understanding your lens and how light travels through it.

How it Works
Because your lens is circular, the light will travel through it towards the center creating circular diffractions (when the light wave encounters an obstacle in this case the glass element.) If you are using a zoom lens you will see more diffraction because there are more elements in that lens to make it zoom. In theory, if you somehow were able to position the light source directly in front of the lens in exact center you would, with the correct exposure, see the circles radiating out like a pebble dropped in a pond. Since most, if not all flare is caught off center, the light will always diffract towards the center however you may encounter a star pattern at the source of the light as seen in the above photos.

Getting a Good Star Pattern
If you want your flare to have a nice beginning (meaning not a blown out blob in your photo) then you will want to control the light by putting an object in front of it. In wedding photography you may see this with two people kissing or a the sun coming through a tree in the background. You will need to use manual focus or your focus lock feature so your subject is in focus and then you will just start playing with the light. The kiss shot usually takes several attempts, so I instruct the couple to lightly kiss for about 1 minute while I play. The light has to be just right. Not coming out of their nose or chin.

General Tips
1. Always shoot with the light source coming in from the side and not the top of the frame as seen in Michelle’s photo below. If it comes in from the top it will cut right down the center of your photo. This is bad compositionally and will pose a problem if your subject is right below it. If it was from the side your chances of getting the difrractions just right are greater because heads tend to be at the top of the frame and the light will travel towards the center missing their faces and cutting through their bodies.

2. Try to find something to have the light travel through. In Michelle’s case she was using the life guard tower which was a good choice but the framing needed o be more off center. To get a star pattern off of the tower she would have needed to just barely see the sun. This you will be able to see in camera. Look through the view finder and compose the photo so the sun is just out of sight. Then move your camera ever so slightly until you just see the glimmer of light peeking over. Take several shots with varying degrees of  light showing.

You will get the hang of it. Practice practice practice!

To view more helpful photo tips go to JensTips.com and learn something new today!
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