Qu 1 - Lens Flare

[68lbs]

Attempted some 'smoke art' last night, and as a result I now have a head full of questions. Doh! So, kicking things off at number #1...

Lens flare! I think it's caused by light hitting the lens at a certain angle. But are there any things that increase/decrease the chances of it. And what do I need to look out for (other than bit circular blobs on my images), especially when using flash.

The specifics of the situation were Sigma 24-70 with UV filter on the front (I always have it on, more for protection than owt else) and Sigma lens hood. 580EX flashgun to my right on a tripod (as per smoke art tutorial here) pointing slightly forwards (maybe 5°-10°) to try and avoid light spilling onto the backdrop.

The camera was hand held and my position changed slightly with each shot, reducing and increasing the angle between the lens and the flash, but I still got lens flare in most shots.

I'm going to try making a cardboard lens hood that extends more than the Sigma one, but I'd also like to understand why it's happening and things to look out for to avoid it. Especially with flash.

 

[jgs001]

Lee, I took the UV filters off except when really needed for front lens protection as I kept getting flare and odd effects from the filter. Removing it cured them.

 

[68lbs]

Lee, I took the UV filters off except when really needed for front lens protection as I kept getting flare and odd effects from the filter. Removing it cured them.

Cheers John, I remember thinking about that as I fell asleep last night! You've just reminded me. Will give that a go.

 

[mole2k]

The UV filter will be a major contributor to internal reflections which is what lens flare really is.

Extending the lens good is a good idea or what you alternatively could is is a gobo (fancy word for a hood for your flash to stop the light directly shining on the camera lens, cardboard painted black works well for this)