Flash photography tip: Prevent lens flare from your hair light

Tuesday 1 August 2023, 16:32 by Elja Trum | 2,752 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Sometimes you can deliberately choose to include lens flare in your photo, but usually it is unwanted. Lens flare occurs when a bright light source enters your lens from the side. For example, the light from a flash that you use as a hair light.

Maud - f/2.8, 1/160s, 100 ISO @ 70mm
The simplest solution is to move your light, if that is possible in your situation.

You can also prevent much of the lens flare by putting a lens hood on your lens. It is also a good idea to remove any filters from your lens and give the lens a thorough clean.

You can also adjust things on the lighting side. A useful solution is to add a grid to your flash. This makes the beam of light much more focused, so your light still falls on your subject but no longer enters your lens.

Finally, you can flag the light. You place something between the light and your lens, just outside the frame. This can be as simple as holding your hand in front of it for a moment.

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