Well-placed lens flares can add something to your photos, but lens flares are sometimes very annoying. In this post you will learn how lens flares are caused, how you can implement this and how you can prevent it.

How is a lens flare made?

Lens flares, or dots of light, occur when bright light shines on your lens, such as light from the sun or street lighting. This causes reflection in your lens, resulting in a lens flare. Lens flares can have many different shapes and sizes and colors. This depends on the lens you use and the direction from which the light comes from. This light can come directly from the front, but also more from the side.

How do you prevent lens flares?

You have read it. Because light shines on your lens, a lens flare can occur. So you have to prevent light from shining on your lens and protect it. Try to look at the low sun. You press your eyes and put your hands before your eyes. You realize that you tend to pinch your eyes because your hands prevent bright lights from shining on your eyes. Sometimes it’s as simple as holding your hand above or next to the lens, but there is a more comfortable and logical solution.

Use the sun canopy

Use the sun canopy during night photography? Yeah! Most lens hoods will prevent light from shining directly into your lens. In addition, lens hoods are cheap, lightweight, often equipped with your lens as standard and don’t take up a lot of space. If you notice that the lens hood is not working, you must use your hands or unfortunately choose another composition and ensure that the light can no longer shine on your lens. Sometimes it’s enough to change the camera slightly to the right or down. Sometimes it’s better to keep light on your back. When you stand with the light behind you, glue your viewfinder! This prevents bad color casts.

Lens quality

How to smooth edges in photoshop? You can learn from various sources, but the editing process always starts from one image and a good picture is taken by a quality lens. Investing in high-quality lenses can greatly improve the quality of your photos. So with a cheaper lens, you will have more problems with lens flares or other light points than with more expensive lenses. Oh yes, make sure your lens is really clean and has no stains. This can also cause your lens to light up.

Filter

There is a high probability that you have a UV filter or other filter on your lens to protect your lens. This filter can also cause a lens flare. Therefore it is best to leave your filter at home at night. You can use the sun canopy for protection at night and during the day you can use the filter again. Extra tip: there is a UV filter with a layer. The price is a little more expensive, but is more resistant to direct light.

Hopefully the tips above can help you to create better images with your camera.

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