Sunset Flare Monster! (Page 4): Try using a lower aperture. I've eliminated that by shootin A priority at 2.8...

Photoshark Loc: Oregon

Try using a lower aperture. I've eliminated that by shootin A priority at 2.8

Sdubois Loc: Narragansett RI

You are right and the filter system I have is next to worthless.. I opted for the 17-25mm F/4 You can mount filters on it and it's sharp

Sdubois Loc: Narragansett RI

The only problem with shooting at large apertures is no sun beams.

AdamJB

Here is how I eliminate ghosts and flare when shooting into the sun, works for any lens, any camera:

1) Take identical two exposures of the same scene, but in one exposure, hold a finger in front of the lens to block the sun from view.
2) Open both images in Photoshop and align them.
3) Put the image with the exposed sun on top of the stack. This is the image exhibiting ghosts/flare.
4) Add an inverse (black layer mask) to the image with the flare.
5) Paint on the layer mask with a big white soft brush to reveal the sun and hide your finger.

This works every time. 100% eliminates the ghosts and flare, preserving better contrast. It sounds like a lot of work, but you get pretty quick at it after you do it a few times.

When you shoot this way, make sure you are in full manual. If you are in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or have Auto ISO enabled, the exposure will change when you put your finger over the sun.

You can do this with or without a tripod. If you are shooting handheld, the framing will be slightly different between the shots, but Photoshop's auto align will take care of that for you at the expense of a small crop.

I've attached an example:
Picture #1: Original photo, with some serious ghosts and some loss of contrast due to flare
Picture #2: The photo where I blocked the sun with my finger
Picture #3: Merged photo using the first two

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Adam, neat trick, got to remember and try that! BTW - nice picture!

AdamJB

Thanks! If you do try it, I'll be interested to see the results.

Sdubois Loc: Narragansett RI

Gitchigumi wrote:

Did you have a filter on the lens? Could the flare be coming from that? Shooting into the sun certainly presents challenges.

No I have a filter for it but it wasn’t mounted

Sdubois Loc: Narragansett RI

AdamJB wrote:

Here is how I eliminate ghosts and flare when shoo... (show quote)

Awesome idea will do that on my Astro shots with a lighthouse as well

peekaboo

Next time why don't you eigther slightly left or right which will have the sun slightly off center and see if that 'll help. That's what I do.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Sdubois wrote:

Pardon the cheap Halloween reference.

Hi All,
For the following image I used a Nikon D850 with a Nikkor 14-24 ISO100 f/14 1/160sec. Is there a better lens that has less lens flare? is there a technique I can use to reduce it?
I read somewhere that the 20mm f/1.8 has very little flare.
Here is the image that would have been much better without the flare.

New lens, filter or a lens hood. or anything else. the only way to eliminate flare is to not shoot directly into the sun Meanwhile this is a nice photo. Sometimes flare can be used creatively to make a shot more interesting

Brokenland

This lens has been known to cause lens flaring. Ways to avoid this is zoom in or out to look beyond the flare, change the angle of your approach, Meaning move around as to look beyond the flare, change the direction of your lens, use a lens hood or consider a better lens that's not been known to this type of flaring.

thomasm650 Loc: SF Bay Area

i went to a wedding recently and noticed one of the camera crew was frequently shooting into the sun. Her lens shade was attached to the lens, but was reversed, and not over the glass element. When I questioned her about the potential for flare, she replied, "I like flare."

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

I vaguely remember my photography instructor telling the class how to get lens flare and she said to take the shot with as small of f stop as possible. Your f stop was 14 which is a pretty small opening for your lens. It seems logical to me that if you DON'T want lens flare, then you should shoot with the largest f opening of your lens.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

I vaguely remember my photography instructor telling the class how to get lens flare and she said to take the shot with as small of f stop as possible. Your f stop was 14 which is a pretty small opening for your lens. It seems logical to me that if you DON'T want lens flare, then you should shoot with the largest f opening of your lens.

Alphabravo2020

Doesn't most flare come from the aperture blades? I understood that an even number of aperture blades will cause fewer points on the flare since they will overlap. An odd number of blades will have double the number of points. So flares from OP's 9 bladed aperture will have 18 points which seems to match his photo.

Also if the the shape of the blade is more circular then there is less tendency to flare. And lens flare is manifested/exaggerated? at small apertures.

If you drop ISO to 64 and use, say, a 3 stop ND filter, then you can open the aperture all they way up. Everything in the frame will be beyond the hyperfocal distance and your flares will go away. That would be a good test anyway. Photos at larger aperture exhibit more lens characteristics and are less sterile if that is your thing.

BrentHarder wrote:

I vaguely remember my photography instructor telling the class how to get lens flare and she said to take the shot with as small of f stop as possible. Your f stop was 14 which is a pretty small opening for your lens. It seems logical to me that if you DON'T want lens flare, then you should shoot with the largest f opening of your lens.

Yes.