Lens flare is a phenomenon that occurs when light scatters or flares in a lens system. This often results in bright spots or streaks of light in an image. Sometimes, this is unwanted, and sometimes it’s intentionally part of the composition.
Photographers seek to avoid lens flare in most situations. That is because it causes unwanted artifacts that divert the attention from the main subject of the photograph. However, it sometimes proves useful as a creative tool. As an effect, it adds a unique artistic touch, enhancing the visual appeal of a photograph by creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.Â
Understanding how to prevent it from occurring or how to incorporate it into your creative process, expands your photography skillset and enhances your artistic possibilities.
Contents
What is Lens Flare?
Lens flare is non-image-forming light that results from reflections within the camera lens. When light scatters or flares within the camera’s lens system, it often appears with a characteristic round or polygonal shape, similar to the shape of the camera lens’ diaphragm.
This results in bright spots, streaks, or halos of light in a shot. Lens flare is often unwanted as it adds distractions and lowers the overall contrast of a photograph. Other times, it is integrated into the composition and enriches the photograph.
What Causes Lens Flare?
Lens flare may occur when bright light sources, like the sun or studio lights, cause internal reflections within the lens. How it appears in an image depends on the spatial distribution of light rays passing through the lens. This is influenced by lens shape, curvature, and refractive qualities.
It is often exacerbated by the use of a wide aperture, which allows more stray light to hit the lens. Additionally, the quality and design of the lens influence the degree of flare. Many modern lenses are equipped with special coatings on the lens elements. However, older lenses lack this anti-reflective coating, which is designed to make the lens flare-resistant or minimize flare.
Zoom lenses tend to capture flares more than prime lenses, which have a fixed focal length. Zooms contain more lens elements, which means a greater chance for non-image-forming light to create flare effects. For a similar reason, lens filters increase the chance of lens flare.
Types of Lens Flare
There are several types of lens flare, each characterized by unique patterns and colors. These flares can either detract from a photograph or enhance its aesthetic quality, depending on purpose of the shot.
Starburst
The starburst effect occurs when shooting directly at a bright light source, often at a high f-stop, f-12 or higher. To control or reduce it, use a lower f-stop. If you wish to incorporate this star-like beam into your shot, a zoom lens at a high f-stop should do the trick.
Ghosting
This manifests as bright spots or streaks that can detract from the overall quality of a photograph. Ghosting flare is often more pronounced in high-contrast scenes, particularly when you shoot towards light sources. A slight change of camera position, either a lesser or greater angle in relation to the sun or other light source, often eliminates the ghosting flare.
Angular
This often occurs when light from a bright source hits a camera lens at an oblique angle. It causes light to reflect off the lens surfaces and creates round or polygonal shapes in the image, caused by light reflections off the aperture of the lens. It often shows up as a row of small circles or rings across the frame.
Anamorphic
This phenomenon is characterized by horizontal streaks of light or elongated artifacts. Anamorphic flare results from shooting with wide-angle lenses into a bright light source. Often used to create a dramatic effect, it gets its name from the fixed focal length anamorphic lenses used in cinematography.Â
Veiling
This form of lens flare appears as a haze or a low-contrast rendering of the image. Veiling flare occurs when light scatters within the lens elements. This may be due to the subject being backlit.
Circular
Characterized by bright, circular streaks of light, circular flare appears in photographs when a strong light source, such as the sun, is in the frame. This effect creates a series of bright artifacts that can enhance or detract from the overall image quality.
Sensor Flare
This type is also called a red-dot flare, but the dots are sometimes green. Sensor flare results from light being reflected off the sensor back to the lens and back again to the sensor. These internal reflections occur most often when shooting directly into the sun or a bright light source with a smaller aperture of f-12 or higher.
How to Avoid Lens Flare?
Manage light sources effectively. Shoot with the light behind you or position the camera to avoid direct sunlight or bright light sources. This can significantly reduce unwanted flare. Sometimes, a slight change in the camera angle eliminates or reduces the effect. Also, experiment with various angles to find the optimal setup.
High-quality lenses are often equipped with anti-reflective coatings designed to minimize or eliminate flare. These coatings reduce unwanted reflections and glare. Plus, they render a more accurate color rendition.
Prime lenses, with their simpler optical design, reduce lens flare. With fewer glass elements and a fixed position of the front element, as opposed to the adjustable lens elements of zoom lenses, prime lenses minimize the chances of stray light scattering within the lens.
Utilize a lens hood. This shields the lens from stray light. Also, close the lens diaphragm with a few f-stops to shoot with a smaller aperture. Additionally, clean the lens regularly. Dust and smudges contribute to flare.Â
Make Creative Use of Lens Flare
Lens flare can add an artistic dimension to your images and create visually striking compositions. Begin by understanding the light source. Position the camera so that the sun or other bright light source is outside the frame, but allows light to spill into the shot.
Depending on how much light is present and the camera angle, this may create a flare effect. A halo effect or streaks of light change the mood of your photograph. Different angles and distances from the light source achieve various degrees of flare. Ensure that the effect complements the overall composition without overwhelming the main subject.
Creative use of flare guides the viewer’s eye towards the focal point of the image and creates a sense of depth. For example, in landscape photography, a well-placed flare effect highlights the beauty of a sunset or sunrise. Plus, it reduces contrast and adds a sense of intrigue to the scene. In portrait photography, it can soften harsh lighting and create a dreamy atmosphere, enhancing the emotional impact of the subject.
Enhance the Lens Flare Effect
A wide-angle lens allows for a broader field of view and captures more light, resulting in pronounced artifacts and effects. Also, shooting through glass or other transparent materials can introduce unique reflections from the sun and add to the flare’s aesthetic value. Plus, a slow shutter speed captures more of the interplay of the rays of the sun reflecting off lens elements, creating a more dramatic representation.
Reverse the methods used to avoid lens flare. Then, practice the techniques. Aperture, angle, filters, and light sources contribute to the effects. As with many aspects of photography, there are no absolute rules. If you can make it work for you, it elevates your photographic storytelling.
Add Lens Flare in Photoshop
If you want to add the effect to an existing photograph, Photoshop comes with a built-in feature to do just that.
Open the photo in Photoshop. Then, add a new Layer. Under Edit, select Fill.
In the Fill window, select the following:
- Contents: 50% Gray
- Blending Mode: Overlay
- Opacity: 50%
Under Filter, select Render, then Lens Flare. The window that opens gives you options for Brightness and Lens Type. Then, position the flare within the frame and click OK. Under Layer, click Flatten Image.
The effect often leaves images with a hazy tone. To add contrast and depth, use the Shadows/Highlights function. Boost the Shadows and reduce Highlights. This takes some back-and-forth to get it looking right.
Remove Lens Flare in Post-Processing
If you have unwanted lens flare in an actual image, you can remove some spots or light leaks in Photoshop with the Clone Stamp or Content-Aware Fill.
Clone Stamp
This tool copies pixels from one section of an image and then pastes it onto another section.
Select Clone Stamp from the toolbar on the left side. Adjust the Size to cover the flare to be removed and set Hardness to zero.
Hold the Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) key and click an area to select the clone source. Paste or paint over the flare until it disappears. Practice this technique. You may need to try several clone sources to get the best results.
Content-Aware Fill
This is a powerful tool to select and remove unwanted parts of an image.
Select the flare to be removed using one of the selection tools: Object Selection, Quick Selection, or Magic Wand.Â
You may need to expand or reduce the size of the selection. Click the brush icons at the top for Add to Selection or Subtract from Selection.
Then, under Edit, click Content-Aware Fill. Then, select an area to fill.
Experiment with different methods to get the best results. The screenshot below shows the lens flare selected, a neighboring area for fill, and the result in the Preview window.
Conclusion
Lens flare may exert a positive or a negative effect on images. On the negative side, flare often detracts from the overall quality of images. Unwanted elements or a hazy, washed-out appearance ruins a photograph when the goal is sharp detail and dramatic color. It may obscure important features and reduce clarity. And that can be a problem in professional settings where precision is key.
At times, this phenomenon serves as a part of the creative process and adds an artistic touch. Capture flare at the right moment and at the perfect angle and it adds to the composition. It enhances the emotional impact and invokes a dreamy atmosphere. Also, it often highlights the light source, drawing attention to specific elements within the composition.
Photographers should understand lens flare. Anticipate and manage unwanted artifacts in some cases. Enhance their aesthetic expression in others. Understanding this phenomenon enables better technical execution, leading to more professional results. And this ensures that their final images align with their artistic vision.
If you have any questions or comments, please submit them in the space below.
Take Away
Lens flare results from light scattering within the lens. Often regarded as an undesirable artifact in photography, it can lead to low contrast and reduced clarity in images. Also, it serves as a creative element, enhancing the visual appeal of a composition.
