Creating starbursts in camera was one of the first tips another photographer shared with me. (Thank you Dan Waters!) Since that morning years ago, it’s been a favorite technique used many times over.
To achieve starbursts, adjust your aperture to f/16 or a higher f/stop number (i.e. f/22). In daylight, position the camera so that the sun peaking around a cloud, pier, rooftop, through leaves or other subjects. At night, those little lights turn to “stars”. By taking a few compositions with a different amounts of light and using multiple apertures, you’ll have options in post processing.
Additional fact! The number of star tips is determined by the number of blades in your lens. If your lens has an even number of blades, such as 8. The starburst will have 8 points. If your lens has an odd number, such as 7, the starburst will have double the amount of points. In this case 14.
Time to shoot for the starbursts!
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5 comments
Love these helpful hints Sheen. Thank you for sharing your knowledge to help others. Always inspired by your photos.
Good morning Tracey – thank you so much 🙂 . Glad you enjoyed and appreciate the feedback!
I’ve always wondered about that and i love starbursts in photos! Thanks so much!! I’m going to try this! I will keep that in mind next time I’m shooting!
Good morning Jen! Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing your starbursts posted soon. Have a super day!
[…] Round suns rock, sunbursts shine. Capture the sun in your images as it goes from big ball of fire to a sliver of light at the horizon, or peaking through objects. See our fast tips for creating starbursts. […]
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