Star Bright and Distant Views - For Photography and Photographers

Star bright

Flares are normally frowned on by photographers but with a small aperture it helps turn the sun into a picture-book star.

Most photographers avoid including the sun in their photographs, unless shooting at dusk or dawn. There are two very good reasons for this. First, it can be dangerous to look directly at the sun. Second, there is the danger of flare. Despite the modern lens coatings, and the use of lens hoods, there is always a risk of light from the sun reflecting in an uncontrolled way inside your lens creating streaks of light across your picture. Frequently this flare includes one or more hexagon shapes formed by the shape of the aperture. There are times, however, where flare has its uses in your pictures. In particular, it can help create a feeling of intense heat which could be of particular use if you are trying to convey the high temperatures at your holiday location.

One good way to exercise some control over the flare in the picture is to use the smallest apertures available on the lens you are using at the time. With these, the diaphragm effectively works like a starburst filter (starburst filters have an etched edge which turn bright light into stars. These filters are similar to detractors). The sun is turned therefore into a many-pointed star which can add further interest to the shot.

Distant views

When photographing famous landmarks, you often get better compositions and fewer crowd problems if you don’t get too close.

Many of the places that you will want to photograph on holiday will be popular tourist sites. You not only have to cope with fellow sightseers getting in your way; you have to avoid the ice-cream kiosks, ticket booths and coach parks that will undoubtedly ruin your pictures.

One of the best solutions to this problem is to photograph your destination from a distance. Many of the world’s best landmarks can be seen for miles and seen from that far away the commercial side of the site and the crowds become invisible.

Such pictures demand making a special effort. You have to travel around the site to find suitable viewpoints on foot or by car, or by begging the coach driver to stop. But the added advantage of this approach is that it’s possible to include a wide range of different foregrounds so that you come home with some truly original compositions.

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