TST: Using the sun to maximize results.

Shooting on a sunny day is always pretty awesome! Good lighting is secure if the sun’s out! But the sun is much more than just a huge light bulb!

The sun produces shadows (of course), which creates depth and contrast, and there is the normal rule of shooting with your back to the sun thus lighting up your subject. However, there is another trick and this is the real kicker!

Turn around and SHOOT INTO THE SUN. Yep, sounds weird but the results are amazing.

Along with some magic silhouettes, you can give your photos those special lens flares adding atmosphere to the shot or create sun stars. Sun stars? When the sun is visible with lots of spikes coming off it, it’s called a sun star. This looks so much better than a round hot spot on your image.

The trick to getting the sun flaring or with the long spikes (sun star) is to obscure it slightly with an object. Get a rider, the kicker, a rock, tree, etc. to cover part of the sun. This can be easier when the sun is lower as you have more opportunity to get something between you and the sun. A smaller aperture (larger Fstop) also helps with sharper sun stars and longer spikes.

So try it out. You may need some practice to align a rider in the air with the sun, but it works with some training and you’ll gain an extra feature to give your photos a punch. 

– Lukas Riedl