The Fresh Prince rapped about it, Billie Holiday sang about it and most of the British public spend far too much time talking about the lack of it. Yes thats right summer time is finally here. Those of you who know me well know that I am more than a bit partial to sitting in the sun. Well its very important one gets ones quota of vitamin D, I couldn't be an osteopath with Rickets now could i! That would just be embarrassing.
Vitamin D aside, in photography I love how sunlight can affect the mood of an image. For many photographers strong, direct sunlight can be challenging as it can cast unflattering shadows or create flare. Lens flare usually occurs when the camera is pointed into direct sunlight and a streak of hexagonal shapes, the image of the lens aperture, appears on the image. Unwanted lens flare can be prevented by the use of a lens hood but for me it can add to the image. Sometimes its a happy accident, other times I will try to encourage flare. See below for some examples.
For some people flare can create an element of mystery in their pictures. I seem to remember watching a TV program in which Jordan (AKA Katie Price) was showing her camera crew some photographs of her self surround by flare, convinced that the distorted light was in fact a host of angels..........
