Usually, when the lens is facing a strong light source (for example, in the sun or under a street lamp at night), due to the diffraction phenomenon, we will get the effect of light scattering around the light source in the picture. When shooting portraits or landscapes, Starlight Glimmer's effect is very common and beautiful. So, how should we take pictures of the starlight effect? We will discuss it in detail in this article.
Use a small aperture to get a starry sky effect.
If we use the maximum aperture to shoot the starlight effect, it will only blur the background (foreground), because when the aperture is opened to the maximum, the aperture shape in the lens will become round, don't you understand? Look down. So what caused the appearance of stars? This is an optical phenomenon called diffraction. Diffraction occurs when light passes through a small hole (small aperture) in the lens. As shown in the figure below:
When there is a big hole (large aperture) on the left side of the picture, the diffraction phenomenon is not obvious when the light passes through the big hole, but it will be especially obvious when the hole becomes smaller (small aperture). By the way, diffraction can also cause purple edges in photos.
When we reduce the aperture, the blades in the aperture will get closer together to form a polygon, and then through the diffraction of light, a Starlight Glimmer effect will be produced.
Usually, when shooting starlight effect, a small aperture is needed, such as f/1,f/ 16, to create a beautiful light beam. Generally speaking, the smaller the aperture, the better the effect of the star awn, but don't adjust the aperture to the minimum, such as f/22. Because too small aperture will cause problems such as low resolution and insufficient sharpness, but the quality of the lens is getting higher and higher at present, which is no longer a big problem, but it is still recommended to use the aperture of f 1 1 for shooting.
Reduce glare by partially blocking sunlight.
By reducing the aperture, the star-studded effect can be produced, but it is still a problem. When the lens is facing the sun, it will also produce some glare, which will affect the starlight effect and make it less clean and tidy. At this time, we need to block some sunlight to reduce glare and constantly find the best camera position? Xingmang? . In the picture below, there is a dazzling effect.
If there is no condition to block the sun, you need to shoot along the horizon, and the smog in the atmosphere will weaken the glare.
Not all shots can capture the perfect Starlight Glimmer effect in the sun.
Usually, the more expensive and newer the lens, the better the anti-glare effect, and the fixed-focus lens is better than the zoom lens. The effect of starlight depends on the number and shape of aperture blades in the lens. The number of starlight generated by a lens with even blades is equal to the number of blades (for example, a lens with eight blades will generate eight starlight), and the number of starlight generated by a lens with odd blades is twice that of blades (for example, a lens with seven blades will generate 14 starlight).
Keep the lens clean and remove the filter.
Spots, dirt or oil stains in front of the lens will increase flash and stray light. Ultraviolet mirrors or other types of filters can also increase stray light. If you have glare problems when shooting in the sun, make sure to remove all filters and make sure the lens is clean.
When shooting stars, you don't just have to face the sun.
Starlight effect is not limited to landscape photography and shooting in the sun. This effect can be produced when there is a bright light source. Shooting the moon at night is very suitable for the stars.
Ok, today's tutorial is over. Do you already know how to shoot? Xingmang? What about the technique of the effect photo?