The secrets to capturing sunbursts

We’re told over and over to shoot during the twilight period, or golden hours, of dawn and dusk. This soft, glowing light brings magic to landscapes and can turn dull subjects into vibrant images. We get so caught up in looking for this light that the temptation of putting our cameras down when the harsh, mid-day sunlight is beating down often overcomes us. There is, however, a simple trick that makes shooting in these conditions quite fun and interesting.

Sunbursts are a great way to present the sunlight as a feature part of the photograph. In simple terms, by reducing the size of your aperture to f22 or around that, the light source entering your camera will produce bursting rays of light. Quite often you may need to underexpose by a full stop or two and although this will make your overall image underexposed, it allow the sun to show as a star-like form instead of one big hazy, white ball. Shooting in RAW will help when trying to bring back lost detail in post-processing, or alternatively use a flash to illuminate close-up subjects.

Top tip: Make sure your lens is dust-free as this is what causes ‘sun flare spots’ on your image (although this can sometimes add to the effect).