|
Written by David Beckstead
|
Back in my film days flare was something to avoid, at least in wedding photography. It was so hard to control without Digital's instant LCD feedback. In 2000 my pro digital camera showed me that bouncing direct light through the multiple glass pieces in my 16 -35mm 2.8 lens could produce something beautiful and cool! The physicality of the light as haze, streaks, rings, color, glare and all the almost unpredictable nature of flare made it exciting to try and tame. I never know exactly how the light will react with my lens and the time of day and angle of the sun. I know that it is possible to shift your positioning, change the plain of the camera body to draw the flare to the subject. How the flare will line up and how big the circles will be is often a mystery. That's what makes it fun! I am improving. I can see it in my imagery.
Flare is used all of the time in movies and TV with cinematography. Often used to draw your eye to a subject or to follow a subject. The use of flare is nothing new. For some reason it became one of the "No Nos" in wedding photography. But as you can see here, it can look great! I am not talking about accidental flare; I am talking about planning the use of flare and using it artistically. Creatively focusing flare into a unique compositional element to be desired by you and the bride. I try to shoot 3 or 4 cool flare shots a wedding. These shots are for me and my creative enjoyment. If the bride "gets it" and loves the shots, very cool! If not, it is only a couple shots that you can keep out of the album. Yet I find many of my flare shot shave made the brides cut into the album. That's fun for me to see!
Please log in or sign up
for a free Silver Account to access the rest of this articles and
others
|
David Beckstead |
| About the author: |
| Current Author Promotion: Find out more about David's Current Worshop "Shoot With Beckstead" David Beckstead was named “The Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World” by American Photo magazine - March 2007 issue. David is truly a mountain man at heart! He has traveled to over 65 countries and almost every state in the US. He has hiked thousands of miles of backcountry, including above the base camp of Mt. Everest. He was one of the first registered trackers for Arizona Search and Rescue, worked for the US Forest Service for 12 summers as a Hotshot firefighter fighting fires around the US and Canada, all the while carrying a Nikon SLR with a 50 mm 1.8 lens. David is a fine art watercolor painter and lover of all things artistic.
|
| Read More >> |
|
SUBSCRIBE TO PPR
Robert E. Ross
Private Chat!
View Profile
Private Message
Send Email