Lens flare

Any suggestions? I tried the burn brush but it was not the same saturation as the surrounding areas even when darkened.

ISO 125, f/8.0, 1/640.

Rachel Foster said:

Any suggestions? I tried the burn brush but it was not the same saturation as the surrounding areas even when darkened.

ISO 125, f/8.0, 1/640.

Click to expand...

Hi Rachel,

I like the image as it is, flare and all. The super brightness goes well with what we see on the right! I'd personally try cropping the lower part away 5mm below where the waterfall meets the right edge of the picture and be happy with it. This again might very well be a darling for room decor. And what's wrong with giving folk pleasure?

Next time, maybe get the whole tree! It's a nice element.

It's my guess that the sun is just a little out of frame and that's what you are seeing. when the sun goes down you'll also get a bright line of reflection below it in the water. If it's sun flare and not actually part of the image of the sun, then use of a hood, a flag or a card to shield that bright sun from the lens is helpful. Also, some lenses are much more prone to flare. The 50 1.2L Canon and the 28 mm Leica Summicron, for example, are pretty flare resistant.

A polarizing filter is helpful with the light coming off the water. Flare is best treated before one records the scene. If you are strict you'll know what are the limits of each lens.

I'd not spend the time with this picture unless you absolutely had to. how much is your time worth in terms of other images that you'll be distracted from with this?

If you want to tame it, work in layers. Heres one way, slow but simple. Select one thin horizontal strip of sky on the left section fill it with the color of the sky to the right. If you make ~ 6 overlapping 4 mm strips, you can then get a step gradient representing the range of tones in the adjacent sky on the right. Then selecting these strips, one might give a tiny bit of Gaussian blur and then blend that in with the original to allow back about 20-30% of the original; flare to make it more natural.

If a retoucher did it, you'd pay about $5-10!

Asher

I did use a hood, but it was the 24-105 hood that came with it..not much to it.

I think it's too centered when it goes that wide.

Hi Rachel

tbh it doesn't offend me at all - it's just a part of the imaging process. Sometimes flare can be so bad you can't see the subject, but I often like a little flare when shooting against the sun. Keeps it honest.

I like the picture as well - the people make it complete.

Mike

Thanks...I immediately tossed it as flawed. I get stuck on when those things matter and when they don't.

Mike Shimwell said:

Hi Rachel
but I often like a little flare when shooting against the sun. Keeps it honest.

Mike

Click to expand...

I like this attitude Mike, and this is one of the reasons I joined OPF and don't waste my time with other places any more.

So often I have read on forums (fora) like this various people's ('experts' sic) comments about flare and dynamic range and a variety of other 'challenges' which beset the digital photographer and more often than not the overriding opinion is to sterilise the image to the point of it losing it's truth IMO.

So many people seem to criticise shots for 'blown highlights' or 'lost shadow' or lens flare or any other ailment when all they want is to create homogenised chocolate box images. Some of the greatest photographers and pictures we hold up as examples of mastery frequently didn't care about such cosmetic issues. The impact of the image and truth was all the counted...look at some of Annie Liebowitz's and Linda McCartney's shots of rocks stars - they are even out of focus and people still revere them because they captured an essence of the moment and the person


oops I nearly forgot about the thread with my rant - this is a nice picture and contains some truth of the moment. I like the colours and the atmosphere

Hi Rachel, I think the full size image shows alot of potential for interest as well with a slight crop and horizon balance. The tonal change in the sky highlighting the sunset is very appealing. Perhaps trying a crop from the right just before the second large tree, a crop from the bottom just below the last touch of the sun on the breakwater and leaving full sky may produce another good image from this one.

With the initial image I agree that cropping 1/4 - 1/3rd of the image from the bottom could produce a more appealing image to view.

However, any way you "slice it" it's a good shot!