Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 28 - 105
f/5.6 at 1/8
ISO 100
I wanted to get a shot of the Olympic Cauldron so I headed downtown today on my bike dragging all of my camera gear. I get there and the place is packed with people all trying to get the same picture.
Until late this week you couldn't even get a picture because the flame was behind a fence and the fence was covered so you couldn't see through it. After a lot of complaints VANOC removed the cover from the fence and cut a six slit along a section about 30 feet long.
The slit was quite high and I had to put my tripod at full extension including the goose neck. At that height I had to be on my tiptoes to even see through the viewfinder. People were bumping into me and in turn my tripod constantly. I remained at the fence hogging a spot for at least a half hour.
As I was shooting I noticed I was getting lens flare. I used Photoshop to lessen the effect but it can still be seen. I am not sure what I could have done to eliminate the flare. I had no option to change my point of view. I did find through bracketing that the flare was most obvious when the lens was wide open and less severe when I closed it down. Anybody have any advice on how I could have controlled it better?
Flare for those who are reading and may not know, is caused by light striking the optics at an odd angle and reflecting off the elements within the lens. Filter hoods were developed for this reason, but do not always provide adequate protection. Changing the angle at which you are shooting is the easiest and most obvious way to get around this. There are times when this is not possible, as it would change the composition or due to restricted space, so what to do.
ReplyDeleteFind the source of light and provide shade to the lens using your hand, and magazine, a globo, whatever you have handy. I usually use a combination of hand and repositioning the camera. If you have a friend or an assistant they can block the light source for you, heck I've asked people to "stand here" to provide shade, or just moved slightly so that they do it without knowing that they're helping me out.
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Thanks for sharing this photo and thanks for insight about lens flare :-)
ReplyDeleteJust an after thought, filters. Cheap filters can also cause or enhance flaring so if you are really serious you pay the extra and get multi-coated filters for the front of your lenses. Now if yer doing this for a living it makes a difference. For those of you who aren't buy what you need and can afford. If you find it flaring or enhancing it, simple solution...remove the filter for the shot and put it back on. You may have to work in post production though to the "right" shot.
ReplyDeleteM