f/11 How to create a Starburst Effect

Helpful Techniques

2 1-Use a small aperture to create the starburst effect

✤ When shooting into the sun it is possible to create an attractive, eye- catching “starburst” effect. The effect renders a source point of light not as a bright dot, but rather as “star-shaped” with tines radiating f/9 around the light source. 3 2-Keep your lens clean and remove filters

✤ Smudges, dirt, or oil on the front of your lens can increase lens flare. So can UV or other types of filters.

✤ You won’t get a starburst effect if your aperture is at its widest setting, because at the widest setting the aperture diaphragm is shaped like a circle. The smaller the aperture you f/11 use, the more pronounced the effect.

4 3-Reduce lens flare by partially blocking the sun

✤ Flare can be a significant challenge when the sun is included within the picture frame, as you cannot effectively shade the lens to prevent light from hitting the glass. In such circumstances, it is typically possible to partially block the sun to reduce its intensity (for example, by using a tree trunk or a passing cloud) 5 4-Not all lenses handle shooting into the sun equally

✤ Typically, more expensive lenses will handle lens flare better than less expensive lenses, and new lenses will be better than older models lacking the benefit of modern lens multi-coating technology.

✤ The quality and characteristics of the starburst produced by a lens are a result of the number and shape of aperture blades.

✤ Even number of blades produce stars with spikes equal to the number of blades. Odd number of aperture blades, however, produce two spikes for each blade (for example, a lens with 7 blades produces a star with 14 spikes) 6 5-Don’t just shoot the sun

✤ The starburst effect isn’t limited to landscape photography and shooting into the sun. Anytime you have a bright source point of light, you can create a starburst effect.

✤ Refraction through fabric or screen, also produce stars like through this flag. 7 6-Artificial Starbursts

✤ Sometimes you Before After want starburst you can control no matter what the aperture setting by using a “star filter” on the front of your lens. 8 So…

✤ “Starbursts create an eye-catching point of interest in your compositions. With a bit of creative positioning, technical considerations are easily overcome…”

Tom Anderson… Desert Dreaming Photography

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