FUN with FLARE
(I haven't done a Tech Talk Tuesday for awhile, so thought it was time.)
Usually bright mid day sun is our enemy. For landscape photographers, it produces harsh, flat light. For portrait photographers, it produces harsh, flat light. If we are shooting on a bright, sunny day, we use a lens hood, polarizer, neutral density filter, whatever we can, to tone down the light. Sometimes, however, it's good to think outside of the box. Including the sun or lens flare from the sun, can become part of your composition. In the above photos, I've used lens flare to emphasize, or give weight to the main subject of the photo. It's fun to experiment and see how you can use the sun to change the mood and feel of a photo. I've discovered, however, that using lens flare as a composition element is a very individual thing. Some people love it, and others hate it, but it's worth a try......you might be surprised with the results!
