While there are some photographers who welcome the effect flare produces and embrace software programs that intentionally create it, I battle and prevent it as much as possible. I have no need to include flying saucer like beams of light into my compositions. I spend good money on lenses and filters that reduce flare. It interferes with my subjects and creates distractions. Preventing it is my goal.

© Russ Burden

© Russ Burden

Flare can occur when a bright light source strikes the front of the lens and bounces around the inside elements. With outdoor photography this source is most often the sun but I’ve also seen it caused by bright reflections off windows or other highly reflective surfaces such as water, cars, or polished metals.  Flare can appear in a number of forms. The most common is what I refer to as “alien light beams.” They look like prisms or refractions of light with combinations of long bands of brightness coupled with circular blobs. It mimics the appearance of what it would look like if you were to take a flashlight and at a low angle, rake it across a flat surface and fragment its output. Another common look flare produces is the replication of the source of light itself. For instance, when you aim the lens toward the setting sun with the aperture wide open, a large round secondary ball of light appears in the photo.

© Russ Burden

To combat the two above lighting effects from appearing in your photos, there are techniques and other tactics you can employ. First and foremost, invest in good glass and quality filters. Lenses with uncoated elements invite flare as do filters that are bargain brand. While unto themselves expensive lenses and filters won’t prevent flare, they certainly aid in its prevention.

A lens hood/shade is a good accessory that combats potential flare especially if you’re shooting on the run and you forget to take further precautions. Most lenses are sold with dedicated shades into which manufacturers have invested R&D money to match the shape and size to the lens. They are designed to not vignette even at the wide zoom settings and do an ample job to fight flare. In situations where flare may be an issue, use it.

© Russ Burden

There are circumstances you’ll encounter where a lens shade is simply not enough to prevent flare. When this happens, you need to take special care to place a shadow over the front element of the lens either with your hand, a hat, an accessory known as a Flare Buster, newspaper or other such item. While it sounds easy, the trick is to not have the item appear in the photo. This, too, sounds easy but you’ll discover there’s a fine line of tolerance dictating where you place the item and not have a piece of it in the image. With this in mind, work from a tripod as it allows you to more precisely orient the item while looking through the viewfinder.

© Russ Burden

© Russ Burden

A trick I discovered years ago when photographing in potential flare producing situations is to use the depth of field preview button. With the lens stopped down, press it to make the viewfinder go darker. This makes it easy to see the spaceships of light caused by flare. If I see these alien beings, I immediately put one of the above strategies to work to fight the flare.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.