Last updated on December 7th, 2023
Lens flare can be a pain to deal with, but what is it? What causes lens flare in photography? These are all questions that many people ask themselves. This article will explain what causes lens flare and how photographers can prevent it from happening or use it as a creative effect.
What is a Lens Flare?
Lens flare is what happens when direct light enters the lens rather than reflecting away. This can happen with natural lighting or artificial lights. It typically appears as a haze across part of an image or in front of it. Lens flares are more common around areas with very bright light and dark shadows next to each other, such as the sun and the shade.
Why Does Lens Flare Happen?
Lens flare is what happens when light reflects off of the lens in your camera. Lens flares are most common when you use a lens with an aperture of f/16 or higher because the wider your aperture is, the more light will make its way in.
The most common type of lens flare happens when sunlight enters the scene and reflects off elements like glass, water, or shiny surfaces. However, lens flares can also occur when studio lights or other bright light is too close to your camera.
Use Lens Flare Creatively In Your Photos
You can use lens flares to make compelling images with dynamic color and lighting. Some photographers use lens flare as an artistic effect rather than trying to hide it.
An example is shooting a scene that you want to feel dreamy. You can backlight the subject and work with the lens flare to give the scene an enchanting light feeling. The lens flare will add a nice glow to the photo.
You can also use lens flares for what is called light painting. Light painting is where you have the camera set up on a tripod and use long shutter speeds to capture motion in your photos. The technique works great with street lights or car headlights during nighttime photography. Lens flares add a dynamic look to these types of images.
How to Avoid Lens Flare in Photography
A common misconception is that lens flare is an inherent part of the camera; people don’t realize that it can be easy to avoid!
First, make sure your lens is clean. If there is dirt, debris, or fingerprints on your lens, you could end up with a lot of flare in the image. You can try using a lightly dampened cloth to wipe down the front and back of the lens if necessary.
Next, change the angle of the light to avoid direct light on your lens. If you can’t change the angle, then try using a lens hood or flag to block the light from directly entering your camera.
Hold a piece of paper in front of your camera’s viewfinder to block out any stray lights that may be causing flare.
If you are shooting indoors, consider opening up all the curtains or blinds. You want to make sure as much natural light as possible shines through onto your subject matter (but make sure not to let too much sun come in!) If needed, you can use a DSLR with an anti-reflective coating on its sensor. The anti-reflective coating can help reduce glare and reflections from other objects in the scene.
You can also try using a filter such as a UV or VND filter to reduce how much light comes into your camera. This will give you more control over what kind of lighting you have for each shot!
Tips for Fixing Your Photo’s Lens Flares After the Fact
What is the best way to fix lens flares after you’ve taken your photo is software. There are many different programs that you can use, such as Adobe Photoshop or alternative.
There are a couple of different ways to remove lens flares from photos you’ve taken. One way is to use the Clone Stamp tool. Another way is to remove the lens flare in Photoshop is by using the spot healing brush. This is my favorite method and requires you to click on the lens flare, and the software will fill it in with the surrounding area.
Conclusion on What Causes Lens flares
Lens flares are what happens when light reflects off of the lens in your camera. Lens flares are most common when using a wide aperture but can also occur indoors or with studio lights. You can creatively use lens flare to make compelling images. You can also add dynamic color and lighting effects for light painting. To avoid getting lens flare, be sure that there’s not any dirt on your lens!
