17 Creative Uses of Lens Flare (And How to Get The Effect Yourself)

For many years in photography, lens flare was actively avoided by photographers. Flare, which is basically light scattered within the lens due to unplanned reflection and lens impurities, was considered as something that ruined a photograph. Equipment like lens hoods were invented to help prevent it. But times change and so do fashions.

These days, not only to many photographers not mind some lens flare, they actively seek to get it to add some creativity to their shots. And, to be fair, quite often it looks pretty cool. Check out these great examples of creative lens flare and look at the resources at the end to find out how to shoot with or without lens flare in your own shots.

Metallica at Rock Werchter 2009 ♫♪ by crsan – christianholmer.com, on Flickr

grass and flare by TeryKats, on Flickr

Jackie Martinez (#28440) by mark sebastian, on Flickr

Kissed By the Sun by MR photography., on Flickr

Autumn's Light by MR photography., on Flickr

Alanna Kolette (#91896) by mark sebastian, on Flickr

Flare. by Matteo Paciotti | Photography, on Flickr

handlebars by eflon, on Flickr

Hip by Illusive Photography, on Flickr

Untitled by TheRoyceNg, on Flickr

Daisy DOF by Gareth Brooks, on Flickr

Lens Flare Links and Tutorials

• 4 Simple Ways to Reduce Lens Flare
• 5 Tips to Add Creative Lens Flare to Your Photographs
• Lens Flare – A Technical Explanation
• Understanding Lens Flare