How can I reproduce these circles of light effect ?

Mitica100 · Jul 19, 2005

Follow up:

I checked my Olympus Camedia dig. camera and it has a round diaphragm!

Hertz van Rental · Jul 19, 2005

Having seen the later postings - there are several different causes for the circles.
Some of them are caused by dust or water on the lens.
Some of them are caused by lens flare.
In at least one of them the cause is: it's raining, or ash falling.
Some of them are combinations.
It is impossible for me to be precise about each one without seeing the originals and cameras. The images are way too small.

darin3200 · Jul 19, 2005

I had problems like the ones in the first post pictures with my point-and-shoot digital and it dust on the lense which I fixed by cleaning.

DocFrankenstein · Jul 19, 2005

It's not on the lens or on the sensor.

It's dust in the air illuminated by the flash. Willing to bet money.

kelox · Jul 19, 2005

I'd say Doc is right. I've had this happen to me many times before. It is the flash bouncing off crap in the air.

mumbleman · Jul 19, 2005

What a bunch of muppets (image 3)

slowpork · Jul 19, 2005

hi Mitica.. none of these pictures were taken by me. These pictures are from various sources, by different people and different kind of cameras of both digital and film. (film eg. Olympus SuperZoom 3000, digital eg. canon compact digital camera, and others). I guess all these pictures where taken by compact camera (not SLRs, or professional's)

more examples i found..
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/423.jpg
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/393.jpg
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/394.jpg

If it's water or dust/particle in the air, should I spray water, or use a fan to blow powder in the air and take picture? or put some powder on the lens?

It's very interesting that all these circles "share" common characters.
- "Perfect" circle (no other shapes)
- No glare outside each circle
- Has texture inside (like a maze)

Bob_McBob · Jul 20, 2005

Definitely particles in the air reflecting the flash. Check out what it looks like in thick fog!

Mitica100 · Jul 20, 2005

slowpork said:
hi Mitica.. none of these pictures were taken by me. These pictures are from various sources, by different people and different kind of cameras of both digital and film. (film eg. Olympus SuperZoom 3000, digital eg. canon compact digital camera, and others). I guess all these pictures where taken by compact camera (not SLRs, or professional's)

more examples i found..
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/423.jpg
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/393.jpg
http://www.tteen.net/picture_gallery/394.jpg

If it's water or dust/particle in the air, should I spray water, or use a fan to blow powder in the air and take picture? or put some powder on the lens?

It's very interesting that all these circles "share" common characters.
- "Perfect" circle (no other shapes)
- No glare outside each circle
- Has texture inside (like a maze)

All of these pictures here are done with flash. I strongly believe in dust particles around the lens (and not on the lens) and the flash illuminating them briefly. As you say, they were both digital and film cameras, but they were the 'compact' type, most of these have round apertures being that's a lot more economical to manufacture. And your observation of 'common characters' proves that the dust floating near the lens is shown the same way over and over, no matter what camera (digital or film) one uses.

I'm going to try to duplicate one of these puppies with my wife's Olympus Camedia digital camera, using flash and stirring a bit o' dust in the air, since I am currently re-flooring my entire house (and there's plenty of dust

). I'll post it.

slowpork · Jul 20, 2005

Thanks everyone for all opinions.

Thanks Bob_McBob, that helps answering my question a lot. Also I will be very appreciated if anyone can provide more links to pictures of similar effects.

Mitica100, thanks a lot

You have such a great enthusiasm in photography. You may kick the floor to make more dust in the air, but make sure you wear a mask.

Mitica100 · Jul 20, 2005

OK, I did it. Went into the garage, next to my table saw and grabbed a hand of dust, threw it in the air and took a picture. It turns out that:

my wife's Olympus does have a 5 blade shutter, as you can see in the picture (they're not perfectly circular but rather pentagonal in appearance)
I threw waaaay too much dust in the air and I assume that when the pictures you mentioned were taken there was less dust or ash from the burning candles/fires floating around the lens
all of the spots in the pictureI took look similar in shape (not size, since they were closer or father away from the lens) and coloring

And now... here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/mitica100/P1010121web.jpg

Mitica100 · Jul 20, 2005

slowpork said:
Thanks everyone for all opinions.

Thanks Bob_McBob, that helps answering my question a lot. Also I will be very appreciated if anyone can provide more links to pictures of similar effects.

Mitica100, thanks a lot You have such a great enthusiasm in photography. You may kick the floor to make more dust in the air, but make sure you wear a mask.

Mask? What's a mask? :lol:

slowpork · Jul 20, 2005

Wow Mitica. I salute you !! I'll call this Mitica Dust Effect.
Do you have hi-res pics by any chance?
It's time to collect dust and experiment with this new effect.

Thanks guys.. This topic has come to an end.

Mitica100 · Jul 20, 2005

slowpork said:
Wow Mitica. I salute you !! I'll call this Mitica Dust Effect.
Do you have hi-res pics by any chance?
It's time to collect dust and experiment with this new effect.

Thanks guys.. This topic has come to an end.

I don't have anything Hi Res except for the pic in the Olympus. If you want me to e-mail it to you I will. Just PM me with your e-mail.

Let me know if you need some dust. :lol: