Lens Flare: How to Avoid it, and When to Let it Slide
Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time tinkering in Photoshop or other modern image editing programs has likely come across an interesting feature called “lens flare,” which creates a bright circle of light with various accompanying distortions on the surface of the image. While some web designers, artists, and photographers may have the occasional use for lens flare, allowing for the occasional artistic streak or creative license, it has traditionally been a scourge on the efforts of photography, and there is a far greater interest in understanding how to get rid of the effect than to create it. Lens flair typically plagues photographers in bright and sunny areas, causing headaches for creative talents from Austin Texas to the desert sands of the Sahara. But even frustrated Austin TX photographers can learn how to decrease the risk of lens flair destroying an image or adding its personal notions of brightness and distortion.
As you might have guessed, lens flare is the result of a direct light source such as the sun interfering with the camera’s lens. At certain angles, light can enter the camera and do a kind of mambo dance during photography, resulting in an inordinate amount of light reaching the film, culminating in any number of splotches and rings. In some instances, lens flare can appear as a film over the surface of the image, brightening the entire scene. Because of the nature of lens flare, the most straightforward and simple way of avoiding it is to get some sort of object between your camera’s lens and the sun (or other bright light source). There are a number of ways to accomplish this task, ranging from the quick and inexpensive to the more professionally nuanced.
One of the easiest methods for avoiding lens flare is having a friend or helpful bystander place themselves in front of the sun, serving as a kind of shield for the camera lens. Though not always practical, this method is certainly adjustable, and beats having to shade the lens with the photographer’s own hand, which can lead to technically tricky manual maneuvers. When possible, a photographer can also stand with their back to the sun, creating their own shady spot for the camera. In certain conditions, this can alter the intention for the photograph, causing a different kind or quality of light to result.
More reliable methods for avoiding lens flare point to making a custom lens hood, or purchasing a professional model. Professional lens hoods come in various shapes, including flower-edged and straight, and can be extremely useful in bright conditions. Though they tend to thwart any attempts at wide-angle photography, lens hoods can eliminate the vast majority of lens flare issues. Photographers on a budget can put together their own hoods, typically out of a durable yet flexible material such as card or paperboard and a reflective finish such as aluminum foil. Letting lens flare do its thing can be fine for certain images; ultimately, the choice is up to the artist.
Just as an SEO specialist is lost without proper keyword tools in the world of search engine optimization
, a photographer or web design specialist making custom images is at risk for wasted efforts without a lens flare prevention plan.
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