To flare? or not to flare?

[mike_t99]

I posted this here because I just love lens flare. What do you think? I find it tricky to get lens flare without burning everything else out.

Taken at 5.00 am in Ludham, Norfolk. 10D, 70 - 210mm, Early April and damn cold!!

Mikey

[etaf]

i think lens flare can look good in a photo - photoshop has a lens flare filter to add this effect on images without flare.

:) :) we spend hundreds on lenses and hoods etc to avoid flare and then add later :) :)

[hollow]

Well, to have natural lens flare you don't necessary have to point the camera exactly to the sun ! But I guess that is available only for cheap lenses. Indeed with good lenses there are rare times when you'll see lens flare (that's one of the reasons they are so expensive).

My opinion : take good exposed pictures and if you want after you can add lens flare effect with sofware.

[jfrancho]

Take a look at this site (http://www.michaelgrossphoto.com/). He uses flare in quite a few of his pics, to great effect.
BTW, that's me on the right in the third shot.

[bikerider]

Nice pic Mikey, I love lens flare also.......I've included one I took when doing a bike feature, the editor didn't like it, heh heh.
Roger.

[mike_t99]

Thanks for the feedback guys. To me, if its there, it's something else to factor in.....and hey.....WTH.... use it. Sometimes it works and sometimes I consign it to the great CF card in the sky :)

Thanks again all.