This is an experiment of sunbursts in the mid-afternoon desert. All comments welcome.

[Copterdoc]

I shot this using my RF 100-500 at somewhere near f32 and a shutter of about 1/500. Don't remember exactly. I'm trying to find some reliable formulas for generating the star/sunburst reliably in bright sunny conditions. I got a lot of lens flare as expected pointing almost directly at the sun and am looking for some technique to eliminate the flare if possible. I would like to be able to reproduce a clean crisp flare off of other reflective surfaces such as water and helicopter aircraft windscreens. Then I want to work this into shots at night of Cars and other vehicles for the driving lights. Looking to develop a process for each condition.

 

[Shotbycurtin]

That’s a pretty good starburst IMO. Tricky to do in direct sunlight. What filters did you use? I understand that degrees of lens flare varies from lens to lens, though I’d expect the 100-500 to be right up there.

 

[Copterdoc]

That’s a pretty good starburst IMO. Tricky to do in direct sunlight. What filters did you use? I understand that degrees of lens flare varies from lens to lens, though I’d expect the 100-500 to be right up there.

Thanks. There is some Photoshop work post to sharpen the flare. I used no filter but a good bit of Dehaze to sharpen the flare. Looking to make a formula of sorts to be able to reproduce the effect. I want to use it in backlit portraits and other situations where I get sun reflections of shinny surfaces lick windshields and helicopter windows. The helicopter windows are great for reflections because of their extensive curves. I'm going to try the electronic shutter as suggested and I think I will try a graduated filter to improve exposure.

 

[Greg]

Last time I had a star like that was using my old Canon AE1 with a filter designed for the job. Did not need any sun to achieve the star.

Have you tried using post editing to plant a star and not rely on the sun at all