Light Show

Ok, so this was a lesson I really wanted to learn. It's called "Lens Flare." It's usually not a desired effect and most camera blogs will tell you how to avoid it. But, as much as any other "rule" of photography, it can be broken...and beautifully.

I came across this beautiful picture from Stephan Maloman and that was it... I fell in love with the lens flare effect. I asked him how he did it and, as most photographers will agree, he didn't really know how to tell me...it's just by "feel". I struggled trying to imitate it and flopped miserably.

Then, I came across Carla Ten Eyck's blog about Lens Flare, an actual tutorial! She is the best. She tried to identify a common denominator when it comes to getting lens flare (she loves it and captures it all the time!) and that was the beginning of my new obsession. I went out that day to play in the sun. I also found another tutorial on how to make the sun (or any light for that matter) look like a starburst, and I combined this effect with the lens flare. Here are my picks for the best shots I have gotten so far in the learning process.... I divided the posts into groups, since there are so many. I had so much fun with this and hope to incorporate it into future client sessions!