{"id":112912,"date":"2020-11-16T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T06:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/"},"modified":"2020-11-16T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T06:40:00","slug":"what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is Lens Flare, and Why Does It Make Photos Look Weird?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41df367ba0f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41df367ba0f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/#What_Causes_Lens_Flare\" >What Causes Lens Flare?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/#How_to_Avoid_Lens_Flare\" >How to Avoid Lens Flare<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/#How_to_Use_Lens_Flare_Artistically\" >How to Use Lens Flare Artistically<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What Is Lens Flare, and Why Does It Make Photos Look Weird?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_698396\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-698396 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/xpreview-1.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.qVBvoDGlQs.jpg\" alt=\"A lens flare over a small bay at sunset.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"http:\/\/harryguinness.com\" data-credittext=\"Harry Guinness\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/harryguinness.com\">Harry Guinness<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lens flare is an optical effect in which light is scattered inside the body of a camera lens and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears in a photo as an artifact or contrast-reducing haze. It\u2019s usually undesirable, but sometimes, you might want to use it for artistic or stylistic purposes.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Causes_Lens_Flare\"><\/span>What Causes Lens Flare?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Modern lenses are incredibly complex works of engineering. They aren\u2019t simply concave or convex, but composites that use multiple elements for much better optical performance. The curved piece of glass you played with back in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> class could never focus light enough for you to take a decent selfie.<\/p>\n<p>When you look at anything, you see the light reflecting back from it. When you take a photo, the lens on your camera focuses this reflected light onto the sensor (or film). However, the reflected light isn\u2019t the only light that hits the lens; rays are coming at it from all directions.<\/p>\n<p>Most of these non-image light rays don\u2019t matter for one (or more) of the following reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They\u2019re directed toward the body of the lens.<\/li>\n<li>They\u2019re absorbed by the lens elements or anti-glare coating.<\/li>\n<li>They\u2019re eliminated by the design of the lens and never reach the camera sensor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, if light rays come from a particularly bright source, they can be reflected, refracted, or bounced around enough through the different lens elements to reach the sensor. Or, they can interfere with other reflected, refracted, or bounced light rays. Either way, they\u2019ll then appear in your photo as a lens flare.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_698397\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-698397 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/x1flare.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.fl-JTKjNAN.jpg\" alt=\"An unwanted lens flare artifact and a low-contrast haze in a shot of the sun over a mountainside.\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-credittext=\"Harry Guinness\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Both forms of lens flare are visible here: there are artifacts in the center and an overall loss of contrast. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\">Harry Guinness<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lens flare appears in the following two ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>As a visible flare:<\/strong> Or, as a weird, polygonal artifact around, or opposite from, the light source.<\/li>\n<li><strong>As a bright haze:<\/strong>\u00a0This reduces the contrast of the entire image.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lens flare most commonly appears when you\u2019re shooting directly at a bright light source, like the sun, street or concert lights, or a studio flash. It can appear both when the light source is included in the image or when it\u2019s just out of frame.<\/p>\n<p>The lens you use has a big effect on the amount and look of any lens flare. Modern lenses are mostly designed to minimize it and also have anti-reflective coatings. More expensive, professional and prime lenses are less prone to flare than consumer market and zoom lenses.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Avoid_Lens_Flare\"><\/span>How to Avoid Lens Flare<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_698401\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-698401 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/x4nolensflare.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.J5Cv1ZYrBM.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of a woman in profile looking upward.\" width=\"650\" height=\"520\" data-credittext=\"Harry Guinness\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Using a tree to block the direct sunlight prevented any lens flare in this shot. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\">Harry Guinness<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lens flare isn\u2019t something you can always totally eliminate. However, if you follow the tips below, you can do your best to avoid it or minimize its effects:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t shoot directly into bright light:<\/strong>\u00a0This is, by far, the most common cause of lens flare. Avoid light sources that are either in, or just out of, a shot.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use a lens hood:<\/strong>\u00a0This will prevent as many non-image light rays as possible from hitting the lens, so leave it on your camera. It won\u2019t prevent any lights in an image from causing flares, but it will massively reduce any from outside the frame.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use prime lenses:<\/strong>\u00a0They have simpler optical designs than zooms, so they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly less prone to flare.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clean your lenses:<\/strong>\u00a0Light can also reflect off of any dust or dirt on the elements of your lens and cause worse flares.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid filters:<\/strong>\u00a0UV or neutral density filters\u00a0(especially if they\u2019re low-quality) can make flaring worse.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shade your lens:<\/strong>\u00a0Whether you use your hand, a tree, or anything else, shading the front of your lens will block any out-of-frame light sources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move:<\/strong>\u00a0In most situations, you can significantly reduce or remove lens flare by simply moving around. Change your perspective or reframe the shot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Use_Lens_Flare_Artistically\"><\/span>How to Use Lens Flare Artistically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_698399\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-698399 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/x2deliberate.jpg.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.ovhG2zCkSd.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of a woman standing next to a walkway with a deliberate lens flare. \" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-credittext=\"Harry Guinness\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deliberate lens flare can look good. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/snapsure.app\/\">Harry Guinness<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Again, lens flare is generally something you want to avoid. However, it can be used artistically\u2014 just ask <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2013\/9\/30\/4788758\/j-j-abrams-apologizes-for-his-overusing-lens-flares\">J.J. Abrams<\/a>.\u00a0Accidental or unintended lens flare usually detracts and distracts from an image. If you deliberately include it (or add it\u00a0afterward in Photoshop), though, it can enhance a particular vibe you might trying to capture.<\/p>\n<p>Abrams might have taken it a bit too far in his <em>Star Trek<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a>, but it was never the result of a technical misstep.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"JJ Abrams Lense Flare Compilation\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ALHiJaSPrns?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you want to play around with lens flare in your images, here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shoot directly at lights:<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re including lens flare, you most likely don\u2019t want to be too subtle. Point your camera at the biggest light source in the room.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shoot during the golden hours:<\/strong>\u00a0The hour just after sunrise or before sunset are the easiest times to get good lens flare. The sun is low in the sky, so you can easily work it into your shots. The light will also create a nice golden glow in your image.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhance afterward:<\/strong>\u00a0Like any dramatic effect, you\u2019ll get the best results from lens flare if you tweak your images later in photo-editing\u00a0software.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stop down the aperture: <\/strong>If you use a narrower aperture (like f\/11-f\/16), point light sources will\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/3VBg9zmZUOY\">render as cool starbursts<\/a>. This is one of the best ways to include lens flare.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shoot a few shots without it:<\/strong>\u00a0What looks good on the back of your camera might not look so good blown up on your computer. Be sure to shoot some safety shots without any lens flare.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Embrace mood:<\/strong>\u00a0Lens flare gives your images a specific look. Depending on how you use it, it can create a soft, dreamy, other-worldly look, or a dramatic, high contrast look.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Still try to minimize it:<\/strong>\u00a0Even if you\u2019re actively trying to capture lens flare, you still want to follow most of the tips we covered above. Keep your lenses clean, don\u2019t use filters, and move around.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t overdo it:<\/strong>\u00a0Like any photography technique, lens flare loses its impact if you overuse it. Going full-Abrams in every image isn\u2019t a good idea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/698395\/what-is-lens-flare-and-why-does-it-make-photos-look-weird\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What Is Lens Flare, and Why Does It Make Photos Look Weird?&#8221; Harry Guinness Lens flare is an optical effect in which light is scattered inside the body of a camera lens and appears in a photo as an artifact or contrast-reducing haze. It\u2019s usually undesirable, but sometimes, you might want to use it for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/thumbcache\/2\/200\/9ba3e7eb7d31522ea6ebddaa10616bb7\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preview-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}