Backlighting always offers great opportunities to capture dramatic scenes. But for a really dynamic effect, you might also want to include part of the sun. Yes, a star filter does some very magical work, but I prefer to create my own sun stars! You can too - learn how.
Sunset Sunburst (3)
© Kerry Drager
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- Start with a bright, low-in-the-sky sun. Then, compose the scene so just a small piece of the sun peeks around a building, monument, tree, or other object. - Use a small lens opening in order to get the effect - preferably, your lens's smallest aperture (highest f/stop number). - For the strongest sunburst, remove ALL filters ... since it can cause extra lens flare or splotches of light in your picture.
- For the best results, use a wide-angle focal length - preferably a fixed wide-angle, although a wide-angle zoom can produce an excellent effect too! - Like any silhouette shot, getting the right "look" can be tricky. You may need to use exposure compensation, although I generally take an alternate meter reading off a middle-toned part of the sky ... not the brightest area, not the darkest. Another possibility is to go with an overall averaging reading, as long as your meter is reading a fairly even mixture of both darks and brights.
- Caution: Be careful looking directly at the sun through your viewfinder ... not good for the eyes! Tip: I compose the photo with the sun totally blocked by the tree, tower, or whatever ... then, when things are just about perfect, I move the camera ever so gently so that some of the rays burst out from behind the object.- If your camera has a Depth of Field Preview mode, activate it and actually see the sunburst effect before shooting! Lastly ...
This is a technique that requires photographing and evaluating your results, and then repeating the process. Good luck as you shoot for the stars!
About Author / Instructor / Photographer, Kerry Drager
The content manager and an instructor for BetterPhoto.com, Kerry Drager is also the author of Scenic Photography 101. In addition, he teaches two online photography courses at BetterPhoto: Creative Light & Composition and Creative Close-ups. Kerry's Pro BetterPholio Web site offers an assortment of galleries and illustrated how-to articles on photography. In addition, kerrydrager.com was featured in Shutterbug magazine. His work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer and other major magazines; Hallmark cards and Sierra Club Calendars; and in advertising campaigns for American Express and Sinar Bron Imaging. He is also the photographer of the photo-essay books The Golden Dream: California from Gold Rush to Statehood and California Desert, and is a contributing photographer for the books Daybreak 2000 and Portrait of California. He lives with his wife, Mary, in the country near Sacramento, California, with their six Newfoundland dogs, six cats, two horses, and a mixed terrier.
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