37 pieces of flare

[chuasam]

Bonus points if you can guess the movie reference.

Lens Flare. Good or Bad?
Can it be used judiciously?
We shade the light source, use lenshoods and flags, point away from the sun, do everything we can to avoid getting flare in our photos. Lens makers use nanocrystal coating, multicoating, ED Glass, Super ED Glass, Super Duper Whooper ED magical glass to avoid ghosting and flare.

But is there an art to incorporating flare? Is there a flair for flare?
Share photos and discuss the use of flare to add flair to your pictures.

Don't be afraid to go all JJ Abrams.
Though, at what point is there just TOO much flare?

 

[limr]

"Yeah, I do want to express myself, okay. And I don't need 37 pieces of flair to do it. *flips bird*"

Sometimes I like flare. Other times, it ruins the shot. It's kind of like porn: I can't explain it, but I know it when I see it

I think it works in these because it helps create a mood and doesn't distract or obscure:

Day 245 - Sun beams on grass by limrodrigues, on Flickr


Day 245 - Sunset over Hudson by limrodrigues, on Flickr

In this one, though, it's too much. It's dominant and not aesthetically pleasing:

 

[chuasam]

If you're talking about porn and flare that's just Japanese censorship at work.

 

[limr]

If you're talking about porn and flare that's just Japanese censorship at work.

Yes yes, but the real question is do I get my extra points???

 

[chuasam]

If you're talking about porn and flare that's just Japanese censorship at work.

Yes yes, but the real question is do I get my extra points???

Absolutely.

 

[chuasam]

does this count as lens flare?

 

[Ysarex]

Joe

 

[chuasam]

View attachment 122361

Joe

I award you 3 out of 5 JJ Abrams.

 

[LARZRARZ]

I like it when used tastefully or artfully. A natural flare is certainly better than the PS rendered one (actually to be honest I don't know this for sure because I haven't rendered a lens flare in PS since version 7 back in high school). I used to put that chit on everything.

The first remake of Star Trek movies is a good example of too much for me. A couple years ago some friends and I decided to make a drinking game of it and take a drink every tie there was a flare. By the end of the first scene our 40s were gone and we were all wasted.

 

[chuasam]

I like it when used tastefully or artfully. A natural flare is certainly better than the PS rendered one (actually to be honest I don't know this for sure because I haven't rendered a lens flare in PS since version 7 back in high school). I used to put that chit on everything.

The first remake of Star Trek movies is a good example of too much for me. A couple years ago some friends and I decided to make a drinking game of it and take a drink every tie there was a flare. By the end of the first scene our 40s were gone and we were all wasted.

Did you know that there is a person on JJ Abrams whose job is to shine a flashlight at the camera lens?
Flare adds a sense of faux reality to a computer generated image. Just like the tracking and focussing shots found in Firefly and Battlestar Galactica.
Flare gives me a sense of chills when it's done right. Kinda like in the new Star Wars movie. Adds a sense of wabi sabi like it's actually a camera in space.

 

[LARZRARZ]

I like it when used tastefully or artfully. A natural flare is certainly better than the PS rendered one (actually to be honest I don't know this for sure because I haven't rendered a lens flare in PS since version 7 back in high school). I used to put that chit on everything.

The first remake of Star Trek movies is a good example of too much for me. A couple years ago some friends and I decided to make a drinking game of it and take a drink every tie there was a flare. By the end of the first scene our 40s were gone and we were all wasted.

Did you know that there is a person on JJ Abrams whose job is to shine a flashlight at the camera lens?
Flare adds a sense of faux reality to a computer generated image. Just like the tracking and focussing shots found in Firefly and Battlestar Galactica.
Flare gives me a sense of chills when it's done right. Kinda like in the new Star Wars movie. Adds a sense of wabi sabi like it's actually a camera in space.

I don't think wabi-sabi would be the right term for it since it's done intentionally, but I get what you mean.

 

[LARZRARZ]

Wabi-sabi may be a worthwhile topic of it's own here. Many people, especially visual creatives, have a hard time accepting imperfections (myself included).

 

[chuasam]

Wabi-sabi may be a worthwhile topic of it's own here. Many people, especially visual creatives, have a hard time accepting imperfections (myself included).

I would gladly choose an imperfect image of something interesting than a perfect image of something that feels contrived.

 

[LARZRARZ]

Wabi-sabi may be a worthwhile topic of it's own here. Many people, especially visual creatives, have a hard time accepting imperfections (myself included).

I would gladly choose an imperfect image of something interesting than a perfect image of something that feels contrived.

Both have their place and their pros and cons. I think a "perfect" and contrived image can still be just as interesting as one that is imperfect.

 

[chuasam]

Wabi-sabi may be a worthwhile topic of it's own here. Many people, especially visual creatives, have a hard time accepting imperfections (myself included).

I would gladly choose an imperfect image of something interesting than a perfect image of something that feels contrived.

Both have their place and their pros and cons. I think a "perfect" and contrived image can still be just as interesting as one that is imperfect.

Imperfection in an image gives this scandalous voyeuristic vibe that makes it more tantalizing and real. You know what I mean? It's like plastic Beverly Hills doll vs real girl next door.