Lens flare is created when unwanted light bounces around inside a camera lens — but sometimes “unwanted” isn’t the right word. While lens flare can sometimes wreak havoc on contrast, it can also add depth, drama and creativity to an image. This week, we feature five photographers using lens flare to their advantage to capture creative portraits and wedding shots. Find inspiration in lens flare from Gina Fernandes, Amanda Vaelynn, Verity Sansom, Nicholas Ng, and Jessi Ingram. 

Gina Fernandes, Gina Fernandes Photography 

Documentary wedding photographer Gina Fernandes of Gina Fernandes Photography knew she wanted to capture the white taxi in this couple’s wedding images. The white taxi is a family business for one of the grooms, so she knew it was important to the couple. She asked the couple to sit in front with the headlights on to play with the light. 

Fernandes says she loves flare so much that she bases her lens purchases on the optics said to capture the best flare — she used the Sony Zeiss 35mm f1.4 on the Sony a7 VI and a video light directed towards the couple for this shot. “I love how [flare] adds a bit of romance and creativity to a photo. I avoid it looking washed out with first angling my camera so it doesn’t impact the subject as much and then the rest of the magic happens in editing. Upping the contrast and dehazing tend to be my tools to go for in editing when I have lens flare.”

Amanda Vaelynn

For adventure elopement photographer Amanda Vaelynn, the key to getting beautiful flare without washing out the image is to partially block some of the golden hour sun so there’s some flare but also some contrast. She says waiting until the second half of golden hour also helps. Because flare can be challenging for many autofocus systems, she uses back button focus while the subject is blocking the sun, then moves until she gets that ideal lens flare. 

“I was inspired by the ‘horseshoe’ shape of the landscape,” she says of the image captured with the Canon 35mm f1.4 II and the R6. “I wanted to place the sun flare through the rocks drawing attention to the subjects as they are walking away from the camera. The rocks they’re walking on reminded me of walking on Mars, so I wanted to use the warmth of the sun to create a flare that gives the feel that they’re walking on Mars towards the sun.” 

Verity Sansom 

When the lighting quickly changed during this maternity shoot, fine art family photographer Verity Sansom was inspired to take this shot, placing the mom-to-be so she was bathed in atmospheric light. She captured the image with the Canon R6 and the 24-70mm f2.8 lens. 

“I love playing around with light and shooting into the sun,” she says. “I try to place the subject directly in front of the brightest point; it does mean I can’t see much when I’m shooting, so I just have to trust my instincts but play around with the angles, and it means the subject can stay defined. You can also use the dehaze tool in Lightroom if you need to bring back any detail.” 

Nicholas Ng, Nicholas Ng Photography

In this photograph by wedding photographer Nicholas Ng, the deer take center stage while a streak of sunny flare highlights the couple as they embrace in the background. Ng said the deer came and gracefully surrounded the couple as they embraced. He took the photo with the Nikon Z6 and the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G lens. 

“I always love the surprises from the lens flare that keep me motivated to chase after sunrise and sunset to create dreamy images for my couples,” he said. “You gotta keep trying to seek the right sunlight direction and right exposure setting to avoid getting washed-out images.” 

Jessi Ingram, Jessi Marie Photography 

Family photographer Jessi Ingram of Jessi Marie Photography wanted to capture a photograph that showcased the authenticity of being a mother. The sun adds some warm flare and creative interest to this shot among the clotheslines. She captured this image using the Nikon D750 and the Nikon 35mm f1.4 lens. 

“Depending on how high the sun is at my shoots, it can work for me or against me,” she said. “I always like to start when either the sun is high enough in the sky so that it doesn’t create a haze on my images, or when it’s low enough that the client is able to stand directly in front of it so they can act as a ‘light blocker.’ This allows me to move and manipulate the light as I see fit. It also can create some really pretty rim light around my subjects.” 

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