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| Toroweap Sunset, North Rim Grand Canyon | © Greg Clure |
This year in my Pro-Tip section I am writing about ways to get creative so your images will standout from the other 880 billion photos that are expected to be taken in 2014. Most photographers avoid shooting directly into the sun as it creates unwanted flare and the harsh contrast doesn't often lead to a pleasing image. The following tips should help you control flare the next time you find yourself looking to create that perfect sun star. But before we get to the tips it might be helpful to understand what's happening in the lens that creates the sun star or burst.
All but the simplest cameras contain lenses which are actually comprised of several "lens elements." Lens flare is caused by non-image forming light which does not pass (refract) directly along its intended path, but instead reflects internally on lens elements any number of times (back and forth) before finally reaching the digital sensor. Although flare is technically caused by internal reflections, this often requires very intense light sources in order to become significant (relative to refracted light). Flare-inducing light sources may include the sun, artificial lighting and even a full moon. Even if the photo itself contains no intense light sources, stray light may still enter the lens if it hits the front element. Ordinarily light which is outside the angle of view does not contribute to the final image, but if this light reflects it may travel an unintended path and reach the sensor. The star burst is caused by light passing through the aperture and being defracted (or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens; and the less curved they are the crisper the star effect.
Now that we know the science, here are some tips to help you create the perfect sun star:
- Use a Small Aperture - While bigger apertures may flare the light the curve of the blades is more pronounced due to the larger opening causing a reduction in the crispness of the flare. Since small apertures have very short and straight edges they create sharper looking star bursts.
- Find a Hard Edge Obstruction - Although you can get a nice star when shooting the the sun high in the sky, I find I get the best results when I obscure the majority of the direct light behind a hard edge object within my composition and only use the smallest slivers of light. This helps reduce the unwanted bad flare and leaves just the good flare, that is; the points of the star.
- Use a Bright Light Source and Dark Surround - Bright unfiltered light works best in creating sharp star bursts. If your light source is filtered by clouds, fog or haze the sun star that forms, if any, will tend to be muddy and lack clarity. Also, you need a dark area surrounding your bright light on which to view the flared light. A good example is the Toroweap Sunset image above, the flared light is readily visible against the dark canyon walls but not so much against the bright sky.
- Use Live View and Depth of Field Preview - Once I have a well composed image, I like to view the sun star on the Live View screen. Additionally, if you are a Canon user than you can also use your depth of field preview button to stop down the lens to your intended aperture. At this point you can see the effect of a what a slight shift in camera position will have on the size and shape of your sun star. You can see the effects of changing your aperture setting has on the star. You will be able to tune in the best looking flare for your composition.
- Different Lenses Create Different Results - High quality glass makes a difference here, generally speaking, the better the glass the more likely you will get sharper more clear sun stars. This is one area where gear really does make a difference so use your best lens.
- Eliminate Unwanted Flare - It can be a good idea to take an exposure with the sun completely blocked to be blended later in post production with your best star burst frame allowing you to eliminate the sometimes unwanted and unavoidable bad flare components that you can sometimes get when shooting directly into the sun. You can do this by taking a shot before or after the sun pops into view or use your thumb or fingers to obscure the sun. All flare, including your star, will be be eliminated from from this frame. This will save you a lot of time and frustration in cloning and healing the bad flare out in post production.
- If All Else Fails, Use Topaz Star Effects - While it should be easy to get the star burst of your dreams with the tips above, sometime you may need to help things along. Topaz Labs make a plug-in call Star Effects and it can be a lifesaver in adding a star effect to any light source or perfecting or tweaking the one you did capture. Receive a 15% discount on any Topaz product by visiting my Topaz Labs discount page.
1) Small Apertures
– generally speaking, you’ll have to use a small aperture, something
like f16 or f22 to make fully-formed crisp sun stars. Wider apertures
like f2.8 or f5.6 simply don’t cut it on most lenses. The starburst is
caused by light passing through a small aperture and being diffracted
(or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens. The more blades
and the less curved they are the better the star. Not all lenses are
created equally, see #5 below.
2) Hard Edge Obstruction
– Although you can make a nice star when shooting the sun high in the
sky, I generally find I get the best results (i.e. small size with
minimal flare) when I play peek-a-boo with the light source. To do this
I’ll position the camera so the sun (or other light source) is mostly
obscured by some compositional element in my frame – something like a
clean horizon, edge of a tree, rock outcrop or building. I find that
harder and/or smoother edges yield the best results.
3) High Fidelity Light –
In addition to obscuring the light source, I find it’s best to use what I
call high-fidelity light, namely light that is pure and clean. When
the light is being filtered through high clouds, atmospheric haze or fog
the resulting sunstars tend to be muddy and lack clarity. I also like
low-angle, warm light around sunrise and sunset for my sunstars.
4) Use Live View to Preview
– Once I’ve settled on my composition and am ready to shoot I like to
use Live View in conjunction with the depth of field preview button
(sorry Nikon people) to preview how my sunstar will look as well as get a
sense for how much flare is being produced. You may be surprised to
see how much a little shift in camera position (up/down, left/right) can
change the size and shape of your sunstar, as well as how much
resulting flare you’ve got in the frame. You can also use this method
when choosing your aperture as you’ll see exactly what the sunstar will
look like. You may not need to stop all the way down to f22 to get the
desired effect.
5) Not all Lenses are Equal
– Unfortunately this is one area where the gear really does make the
difference. Not all lenses make sunstars or handle flare equally.
Generally speaking, the higher quality “pro” level glass make better,
more defined sunstars than “consumer” level lenses. And even some pro
level lenses simply make better sunstars than others. For example, it’s
widely known that the Canon EF 16-35 f2.8L II makes one of the best
sunstars around, significantly better even than its own predecessor.
I’ve had other Canon L series lenses that cover the same range of focal
lengths but don’t make very appealing sunstars. Not that this is the
sole reason to purchase a particular lens – but it may be a significant
consideration for some.
Bonus – As a final tip, I
recommend shooting an exposure with the light source completely blocked
in order to get a frame with little to no flare. You can do this by
shooting a frame before the sun pops out or right after it disappears
from view, or perhaps even by blocking it with your thumb or hand. You
can then use this frame to blend out offensive flare using layers and
masks in Photoshop. This can save you a lot of time cloning and healing
in post.
- See more at: http://www.ianplant.com/blog/2014/04/03/5-secrets-to-killer-sunstars/#sthash.Qc024uhJ.dpuf
) Small Apertures
– generally speaking, you’ll have to use a small aperture, something
like f16 or f22 to make fully-formed crisp sun stars. Wider apertures
like f2.8 or f5.6 simply don’t cut it on most lenses. The starburst is
caused by light passing through a small aperture and being diffracted
(or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens. The more blades
and the less curved they are the better the star. Not all lenses are
created equally, see #5 below.
2) Hard Edge Obstruction
– Although you can make a nice star when shooting the sun high in the
sky, I generally find I get the best results (i.e. small size with
minimal flare) when I play peek-a-boo with the light source. To do this
I’ll position the camera so the sun (or other light source) is mostly
obscured by some compositional element in my frame – something like a
clean horizon, edge of a tree, rock outcrop or building. I find that
harder and/or smoother edges yield the best results.
3) High Fidelity Light –
In addition to obscuring the light source, I find it’s best to use what I
call high-fidelity light, namely light that is pure and clean. When
the light is being filtered through high clouds, atmospheric haze or fog
the resulting sunstars tend to be muddy and lack clarity. I also like
low-angle, warm light around sunrise and sunset for my sunstars.
- See more at: http://www.ianplant.com/blog/2014/04/03/5-secrets-to-killer-sunstars/#sthash.Qc024uhJ.dpuf
3
Apr
2014
2014
By Kurt Budliger Posted in: Arizona, Composition, Creativity, Inspiration, Kofa Mountains, Landscape Photography, Light, Tech Tips
13 Comments
5 Secrets to Killer Sunstars
Okay,
I’ll admit it; I’m a sucker for elegantly crisp sunstars. I may go so
far as to say that I’m addicted to them; not in a shady, I’ll break into
your house for prescription meds kind of way, but more like if it’s
readily available I’m happy to imbibe sort
of way. I especially like using them in my landscapes to create an
additional element of interest, particularly when the cloud gods are
punishing me for previous transgressions and there’s nothing but blue
sky overhead. However, like all things fun and sinful, too much of a
good thing is still too much (except of course tequila, just ask George)
so you should be careful not to overdo them or use them in excess for
fear your portfolio will start to look a little gimmicky.
Before
I risk offending anyone else with my slightly off-color attempts at
humor, here are my 5 tips for creating killer sunstars in your images.
1) Small Apertures
– generally speaking, you’ll have to use a small aperture, something
like f16 or f22 to make fully-formed crisp sun stars. Wider apertures
like f2.8 or f5.6 simply don’t cut it on most lenses. The starburst is
caused by light passing through a small aperture and being diffracted
(or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens. The more blades
and the less curved they are the better the star. Not all lenses are
created equally, see #5 below.
2) Hard Edge Obstruction
– Although you can make a nice star when shooting the sun high in the
sky, I generally find I get the best results (i.e. small size with
minimal flare) when I play peek-a-boo with the light source. To do this
I’ll position the camera so the sun (or other light source) is mostly
obscured by some compositional element in my frame – something like a
clean horizon, edge of a tree, rock outcrop or building. I find that
harder and/or smoother edges yield the best results.
3) High Fidelity Light –
In addition to obscuring the light source, I find it’s best to use what I
call high-fidelity light, namely light that is pure and clean. When
the light is being filtered through high clouds, atmospheric haze or fog
the resulting sunstars tend to be muddy and lack clarity. I also like
low-angle, warm light around sunrise and sunset for my sunstars.
4) Use Live View to Preview
– Once I’ve settled on my composition and am ready to shoot I like to
use Live View in conjunction with the depth of field preview button
(sorry Nikon people) to preview how my sunstar will look as well as get a
sense for how much flare is being produced. You may be surprised to
see how much a little shift in camera position (up/down, left/right) can
change the size and shape of your sunstar, as well as how much
resulting flare you’ve got in the frame. You can also use this method
when choosing your aperture as you’ll see exactly what the sunstar will
look like. You may not need to stop all the way down to f22 to get the
desired effect.
5) Not all Lenses are Equal
– Unfortunately this is one area where the gear really does make the
difference. Not all lenses make sunstars or handle flare equally.
Generally speaking, the higher quality “pro” level glass make better,
more defined sunstars than “consumer” level lenses. And even some pro
level lenses simply make better sunstars than others. For example, it’s
widely known that the Canon EF 16-35 f2.8L II makes one of the best
sunstars around, significantly better even than its own predecessor.
I’ve had other Canon L series lenses that cover the same range of focal
lengths but don’t make very appealing sunstars. Not that this is the
sole reason to purchase a particular lens – but it may be a significant
consideration for some.
Bonus – As a final tip, I
recommend shooting an exposure with the light source completely blocked
in order to get a frame with little to no flare. You can do this by
shooting a frame before the sun pops out or right after it disappears
from view, or perhaps even by blocking it with your thumb or hand. You
can then use this frame to blend out offensive flare using layers and
masks in Photoshop. This can save you a lot of time cloning and healing
in post.
3
Apr
2014
2014
By Kurt Budliger Posted in: Arizona, Composition, Creativity, Inspiration, Kofa Mountains, Landscape Photography, Light, Tech Tips
13 Comments
5 Secrets to Killer Sunstars
Okay,
I’ll admit it; I’m a sucker for elegantly crisp sunstars. I may go so
far as to say that I’m addicted to them; not in a shady, I’ll break into
your house for prescription meds kind of way, but more like if it’s
readily available I’m happy to imbibe sort
of way. I especially like using them in my landscapes to create an
additional element of interest, particularly when the cloud gods are
punishing me for previous transgressions and there’s nothing but blue
sky overhead. However, like all things fun and sinful, too much of a
good thing is still too much (except of course tequila, just ask George)
so you should be careful not to overdo them or use them in excess for
fear your portfolio will start to look a little gimmicky.
Before
I risk offending anyone else with my slightly off-color attempts at
humor, here are my 5 tips for creating killer sunstars in your images.
1) Small Apertures
– generally speaking, you’ll have to use a small aperture, something
like f16 or f22 to make fully-formed crisp sun stars. Wider apertures
like f2.8 or f5.6 simply don’t cut it on most lenses. The starburst is
caused by light passing through a small aperture and being diffracted
(or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens. The more blades
and the less curved they are the better the star. Not all lenses are
created equally, see #5 below.
2) Hard Edge Obstruction
– Although you can make a nice star when shooting the sun high in the
sky, I generally find I get the best results (i.e. small size with
minimal flare) when I play peek-a-boo with the light source. To do this
I’ll position the camera so the sun (or other light source) is mostly
obscured by some compositional element in my frame – something like a
clean horizon, edge of a tree, rock outcrop or building. I find that
harder and/or smoother edges yield the best results.
3) High Fidelity Light –
In addition to obscuring the light source, I find it’s best to use what I
call high-fidelity light, namely light that is pure and clean. When
the light is being filtered through high clouds, atmospheric haze or fog
the resulting sunstars tend to be muddy and lack clarity. I also like
low-angle, warm light around sunrise and sunset for my sunstars.
4) Use Live View to Preview
– Once I’ve settled on my composition and am ready to shoot I like to
use Live View in conjunction with the depth of field preview button
(sorry Nikon people) to preview how my sunstar will look as well as get a
sense for how much flare is being produced. You may be surprised to
see how much a little shift in camera position (up/down, left/right) can
change the size and shape of your sunstar, as well as how much
resulting flare you’ve got in the frame. You can also use this method
when choosing your aperture as you’ll see exactly what the sunstar will
look like. You may not need to stop all the way down to f22 to get the
desired effect.
5) Not all Lenses are Equal
– Unfortunately this is one area where the gear really does make the
difference. Not all lenses make sunstars or handle flare equally.
Generally speaking, the higher quality “pro” level glass make better,
more defined sunstars than “consumer” level lenses. And even some pro
level lenses simply make better sunstars than others. For example, it’s
widely known that the Canon EF 16-35 f2.8L II makes one of the best
sunstars around, significantly better even than its own predecessor.
I’ve had other Canon L series lenses that cover the same range of focal
lengths but don’t make very appealing sunstars. Not that this is the
sole reason to purchase a particular lens – but it may be a significant
consideration for some.
Bonus – As a final tip, I
recommend shooting an exposure with the light source completely blocked
in order to get a frame with little to no flare. You can do this by
shooting a frame before the sun pops out or right after it disappears
from view, or perhaps even by blocking it with your thumb or hand. You
can then use this frame to blend out offensive flare using layers and
masks in Photoshop. This can save you a lot of time cloning and healing
in post.
3
Apr
2014
2014
By Kurt Budliger Posted in: Arizona, Composition, Creativity, Inspiration, Kofa Mountains, Landscape Photography, Light, Tech Tips
13 Comments
5 Secrets to Killer Sunstars
Okay,
I’ll admit it; I’m a sucker for elegantly crisp sunstars. I may go so
far as to say that I’m addicted to them; not in a shady, I’ll break into
your house for prescription meds kind of way, but more like if it’s
readily available I’m happy to imbibe sort
of way. I especially like using them in my landscapes to create an
additional element of interest, particularly when the cloud gods are
punishing me for previous transgressions and there’s nothing but blue
sky overhead. However, like all things fun and sinful, too much of a
good thing is still too much (except of course tequila, just ask George)
so you should be careful not to overdo them or use them in excess for
fear your portfolio will start to look a little gimmicky.
Before
I risk offending anyone else with my slightly off-color attempts at
humor, here are my 5 tips for creating killer sunstars in your images.
1) Small Apertures
– generally speaking, you’ll have to use a small aperture, something
like f16 or f22 to make fully-formed crisp sun stars. Wider apertures
like f2.8 or f5.6 simply don’t cut it on most lenses. The starburst is
caused by light passing through a small aperture and being diffracted
(or spread out) across the aperture blades in the lens. The more blades
and the less curved they are the better the star. Not all lenses are
created equally, see #5 below.
2) Hard Edge Obstruction
– Although you can make a nice star when shooting the sun high in the
sky, I generally find I get the best results (i.e. small size with
minimal flare) when I play peek-a-boo with the light source. To do this
I’ll position the camera so the sun (or other light source) is mostly
obscured by some compositional element in my frame – something like a
clean horizon, edge of a tree, rock outcrop or building. I find that
harder and/or smoother edges yield the best results.
3) High Fidelity Light –
In addition to obscuring the light source, I find it’s best to use what I
call high-fidelity light, namely light that is pure and clean. When
the light is being filtered through high clouds, atmospheric haze or fog
the resulting sunstars tend to be muddy and lack clarity. I also like
low-angle, warm light around sunrise and sunset for my sunstars.
4) Use Live View to Preview
– Once I’ve settled on my composition and am ready to shoot I like to
use Live View in conjunction with the depth of field preview button
(sorry Nikon people) to preview how my sunstar will look as well as get a
sense for how much flare is being produced. You may be surprised to
see how much a little shift in camera position (up/down, left/right) can
change the size and shape of your sunstar, as well as how much
resulting flare you’ve got in the frame. You can also use this method
when choosing your aperture as you’ll see exactly what the sunstar will
look like. You may not need to stop all the way down to f22 to get the
desired effect.
5) Not all Lenses are Equal
– Unfortunately this is one area where the gear really does make the
difference. Not all lenses make sunstars or handle flare equally.
Generally speaking, the higher quality “pro” level glass make better,
more defined sunstars than “consumer” level lenses. And even some pro
level lenses simply make better sunstars than others. For example, it’s
widely known that the Canon EF 16-35 f2.8L II makes one of the best
sunstars around, significantly better even than its own predecessor.
I’ve had other Canon L series lenses that cover the same range of focal
lengths but don’t make very appealing sunstars. Not that this is the
sole reason to purchase a particular lens – but it may be a significant
consideration for some.
Bonus – As a final tip, I
recommend shooting an exposure with the light source completely blocked
in order to get a frame with little to no flare. You can do this by
shooting a frame before the sun pops out or right after it disappears
from view, or perhaps even by blocking it with your thumb or hand. You
can then use this frame to blend out offensive flare using layers and
masks in Photoshop. This can save you a lot of time cloning and healing
in post.
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