Lens Flare WANTED

[burstintoflame81]

I was curious as to how you would accentuate rays of light more. Like if you were shooting the sun shining through the trees in a forest and wanted that dramatic shining effect. Is there a filter that would bring out the rays more, or is it more in the settings on the camera that would help bring that out more?

 

[shortpballer]

If you shoot into the sun, that should create a lot of lens flare. Make sure you don't have a lens hood or a polarizer on if lens flare is what you are looking for...

 

[Dao]

Maybe use a not so good lens with a low grade UV filter.

 

[musicaleCA]

I'd take a clean picture and then add it in post with Photoshop.

 

[Derrel]

Canon's 50mm f/1.8 EF-II lens gives a lot of green ghosting and flare when shot toward the sun during the brighter, summer months. Adding something like a cheap Brand-X UV filter from Ritz Camera or some big camera store's junk bin can also help add some flare.

A number of really cheap zoom lenses in the 35mm-135mm range have 12 or 13 elements and tend to flare quite badly when shot toward the sun, but those are difficult to find in Canon EF mount.

One of the best ways to get a flarey, ghosting prone zoom is to go to a well-stocked but one-outlet camera store, a Mom and Pop operation, and ask if they have any old,cheap manual focus zoom lenses in Nikon mount. You then need a Nikon F to Canon EF lens mount adapter (look for one from FotoDiox in the USA, or on eBay for the chrome plated,bras or bronze ones that cost about $17-$22 each). A Canon EOS crop-body will shoot almost ANY Nikon F mount lens with an adapter..look for old Rokinon or Cambron or Sears, any old junk zoom,especially the wide-to-tele ones like 35-70 or 35-105--late 70's cheapies that sell for $20 to $30 each.

Take one or two outside the store and shoot them toward the sun on a demo Nikon body. Mom and Pop camera stores often have BOXES of this junk someplace and ought to help you out if you tell them what you want. You'll get flares and ghosting galore if you buy a really badly designed 70's zoom!

 

[chris]

Lens flare would just degrade the image by reducing contrast.

If what you want is to photograph shafts of light coming through the trees then you first need bright light shining on the trees and you need to adjust your exposure to accentuate the light, possibly at the expense of detail in the darker areas of the scene.

 

[Dwig]

I was curious as to how you would accentuate rays of light more. ...

The light rays, themselves do not show in clear air. There is absolutely no way to alter the camera (special lenses, filters, soft focus attachments, ...) to make them show. They only become visible when there is something in their path to reflect off of.

The shots you've likely seen where a shaft of light is visible would have been taken on a day where there was a light hazy fog or when there was smoke or dust in the air.

 

[burstintoflame81]

Yeah, I thought that you might have to have fog or dust. I was just hoping maybe there was some kind of filter or photoshop setting that could do it. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Derrel]

Your original post title said you wanted more lens FLARE...

Maybe a Cokin diffraction, Colored Varnish, Vaseline, Star Filter, or Diffuser filter is what you'd be after for in-camera effects?

THis URL has samples photos made with a lot of Cokin filters.

Cokin Filters - Firstcall Photographic