Did you know there are different variations of rainbows and lensflares?
I remember seeing a photo years ago of a little kid playing in the water on a summer day
and what really caught my eye on this photo was the beautiful lensflare the photographer used in it.
I messaged the photographer asking what she used to create it or if it was done in photoshop
and she responded saying it was done with a Lensbaby Edge 80.
I said, I have one of those! So in continuing the conversation she told me the settings must include
the aperture all the way open, tilting it at a certain angle to create the flare and to be patient and practice.
I wish I could remember who it was, but to that photographer who responded and gave me that small tip,
THANK YOU!!
(All images shot on a Nikon d800)
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TWIST 60
The Twist 60 is my favorite and most used lens and lensflare.
It doesn't matter how much or how little the rays are, the subject is always sharp.
SOL 45
The Sol 45 has made it into my top three favorite choices of lenses for sunflare. It's super easy to focus and find the light ring around a subject.
And because the Sol 45 has bokeh blades, those allow for different types of flares to come into a frame.
EDGE 50
As you can see the extreme difference of the Twist 60 and the Edge 50.
I love using this line of optics to frame an object and draw the viewers attention to a certain part of the photo.
(I pulled the lenses out to the macro option for the Edge photos because I wanted a closer image of the flower,
but you still get the lensflare on the wide option as well.)
EDGE 80
EDGE 35
SWEET 80
Out of all the Sweet optics, I would say the Sweet 80 has been the easiest to work regarding the lensflare.
It has those beautiful lines coming from the light source with the added touch of the circular rainbow.
Just like the Twist 60, no matter the amount of flare, the object is super sharp.
SWEET 50
The Sweet 50 is the optic I have worked with the least and when shooting these photos,
I honestly couldn't get the rainbow flare I was looking for.
I was still able to get beautiful light when tilted different directions, but no rainbow flare.
SWEET 35
The Sweet 35 was my happy accident optic. After trying and trying with the Sweet 50,
I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to get the Sweet 35 to work either.
I moved around the tree, found some pretty bokeh and a different flare to added that touch of magic to the photo.
It's very subtle and not overwhelming at all.
VELVET 85
The Velvet series is all about that natural glow already so finding a flare was a little difficult since it's built around the glow.
I love this lens with a backlit photo because the sun wraps beautifully around a subject.
The Velvet 85 creates a beautiful compressed photo with amazing large bokeh when shot wide open.
VELVET 28
FISHEYE
And lastly to my Lensbaby family is the Fisheye optic.
I had no idea what to expect with this cute little lens, but I put it into my Twist housing and this is what came from it.
I love that not only did it capture a flare in the photo, but also enhanced the story around the circle.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love my sunflare. There's no question about that.
Once I felt I had managed this technique, it was like the world opened up to another level of beauty.
Also, I obviously was only able to use the optics I have in my bag,
so as I add lens to my bag, I'll update this post.
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11 Comments
Mar 17, 2019, 1:44:13 PM
Charlotte - I would love a tutorial. Thanks! Now I want to play with m Lb's!
Apr 27, 2018, 6:05:27 AM
Cathy - I would love to see a tutorial on this. Great information in this post, thank you!
Apr 26, 2018, 9:54:54 AM
Elizabeth Partin - Thanks for the great article on sunflare with the Lensbaby optics! Can’t wait to practice with the ones I have!
Apr 26, 2018, 6:33:57 AM
Jeannine - Love seeing the difference between the various Lensbaby lenses! Thanks! Look forward to your 'how-to' video! :-)
Apr 19, 2018, 9:51:09 AM
Stephanie DeFranco - I'm in the process of doing a how-to video! :D Stay tuned!
Apr 19, 2018, 7:11:00 AM
Lindsey - Would love more on the Edge80. It’s my favorite lens to use but lately I’ve been having a hard time getting a flare.
Mar 24, 2018, 12:48:44 PM
Kelly Elliott - Beautiful flares..love how the different optics creative different flare. Sunflare is my favourite !
Mar 24, 2018, 6:19:25 AM
Charlotte Stone - TY for sharing all your experimental efforts with us—they’re beautiful, and the process & results are fascinating in comparison. I’d love to learn more :)
Mar 23, 2018, 7:30:42 PM
Jamie - A tutorial would be great!
Mar 23, 2018, 4:50:54 PM
Tedra Towne - Definitely interested in a tutorial!
Mar 23, 2018, 2:57:56 PM
Liz - This was absolutely beautiful to see .. thanks for sharing and I will certainly give this technique a try . Kind regards Liz