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How to make a DIY “Flare Ring” to add golden flare to your photos

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While many photographers do everything they can to avoid lens flare, others actively seek it to add a dash of colour or just a little something extra and different to their portraits, weddings or other photography. Other than shooting directly into a light source, the most common way people add flare is to put something in front of the lens between the subject.

People use prisms or all kinds of things, and there are even photography products out there specifically for this purpose. But you can get a little more creative with some DIY options, too. In this video, Pye over at SLRLounge shows us how we can build something very effective using a simple metal ring and metallic gold beaded necklaces in just a couple of minutes.

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How to create foreground flare effects in-camera instead of in post

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Adding creative lighting effects after the shot has been taken is easy, but nothing beats doing it properly.

There are a million-and-one ways to add creative flares and effects to your shots in post-production after you’ve taken the image, but nothing beats the look and feel of an image that has used in-camera flares and bokeh effects.

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Here are five funky in-camera effects you can create with dollar store items

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Dollar stores are fun to visit: you can find all sorts of junk there you’d never known even existed. But as we’ve seen before, some of these items can come in handy if you’re a photographer looking for props, storage solutions, or DIY studio gear.

Chrystopher Rhodes of YCImaging has some ideas on how to use dollar store items to create funky in-camera effects. Whether you shoot stills or video, you’ll find some inspiration in the video below, showing you what you can pull off with a few cheap knick-knacks from a dollar store.

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How to quickly remove flare in Photoshop without cloning

To shoot directly into the sun is both challenging and fun. Challenging because it can be difficult to control the light and, not least, our images are very often marred by sunflare. One simple way of avoiding flare is to shoot an extra exposure with one finger or more obscuring the sun.

Admittedly, it happens that I forget to follow that simple step, or I am too lazy or I believe that clouds or mist sufficiently diffuse the light so that the lens won’t produce any flare. In the example below I believed that mist would prevent any flare. I was wrong something which became very evident when examining the raw file in Lightroom.

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This photo isn’t manipulation: it’s an ice cave lit by a flare

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Sometimes Mother Nature creates such incredible scenes that seeing them photographed makes us think: “This can’t be real!” Daniel Kordan captured one of these photos that will make you look twice before you realize: no, it isn’t a photo manipulation. It’s nature’s creation lit by a flare and photographed in a single frame. In this image, the fire meets water and ice, and Daniel told us a bit about how and where he captured it.

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What are lens hoods really for and how do you use them?

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If you listen to folks on Facebook, you might think that lens hoods are designed as some form of mystical lens protection. They’re often touted as the alternative to UV filters as a way to defend your lens against the evils of the world that might otherwise turn it to glass dust.

But, no, their primary function is actually to flag stray light from entering into your lens and causing flare. In this video from Adorama TV, photographer David Bergman talks about lens hoods, when you might want to use one and when you might not.

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How to get rid of four different types of flares

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Sometimes flare is a matter of artistic preference and choice. However, there are plenty of instances when we don’t want it in photos. Koldunov Brothers show you four different types of flares, and the methods to get rid of them. In some cases, there are only minor improvements. But in the others, the difference is pretty striking.

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Google acknowledges lens flare on Pixel camera, plans software fix for hardware problem

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It may be DXOMark’s highest scoring mobile device camera ever, but the Google Pixel is not without its photographic flaws. Quite a few users have reported getting flare or “halo effect” issues with their camera when it’s not even in the shot. The thing with lens flare, though, is that it’s a physical hardware issue. This is why DSLR and mirrorless lenses come with hoods. They block the light from entering the lens and reflecting inside the optics causing flare.

While Google acknowledge that the problem exists, and will be addressing it, they are combating this hardware problem with a software solution. The general idea will be that some algorithm will recognise the flare, and then mathematically subtract it from the image. So, it’s not really eliminating the flare, just faking its removal in software.

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How to create “The Ring of Fire” effect in-camera

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In late 2014 I was given a few pieces of piping. What you might call trash, but I call the ring of fire. It ended up being an incredibly useful tool in my photography. I quickly decided to add it to my (now literal) bag of tricks along with Prisming, Lens Chimping, my Broken Freelens, Anamorphics, etc).

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Turning Day Into Night – A Comprehensive Photoshop Guide

Last week my good friend and awesome photographer Yvette Leur asked if I could edit one of her images she shot.  It was a lovely shot of a woman holding a lantern. The intention was that it was a nightly scene, with a lit lantern, the problem was that it was shot during a sunny day, in the shade, with no light in the lantern…hmmm

I accepted the challenge, and was given free reign of the edit.

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