Understanding Lens Flare

Lens flare occurs when stray light scatters or reflects within a lens system, reaching the camera sensor and creating visible artifacts across the photograph, often reducing image contrast.

Flare typically arises from a bright light source like the sun. However, any highly luminous object within or just outside the frame can contribute to lens flare.

Lens flare is influenced by the number and shape of lens elements and groups. More elements mean more surfaces for light to bounce off and create flare.

Modern lenses often include anti-reflective coatings to minimize flare. These coatings reduce the light refracted within the lens elements, decreasing the potential for flare.

A smaller aperture can increase the starburst effect of a lens flare, due to the diffraction of light passing through a narrow space, enhancing the phenomenon.

Using a lens hood can shield the lens from light coming at oblique angles, substantially reducing the chances of encountering lens flare in your photographs.

While often unintended, lens flare can be harnessed creatively to add a sense of drama, emotion, or to emphasize the light source within the scene.