Sunburst, Sunlight Spire, #3. Needle Mountains, Colorado, 2014 (with the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 wide angle zoom lens set at 14mm and f/22)
Someone asked me this question recently, so I thought I’d answer it here.
A simple way to do it…
1) Use aperture priority and set your f-stop to somewhere between f/16 and f/22. The higher the number, the smaller the hole and, thus, the sharper the sunburst. Consider that these small apertures will also introduce a bit of softness to the overall image via diffraction (but, IMHO, not too much for most purposes). Experiment with varying f-stops to see the different effects you’ll get with the burst.
2) Place an edge of the Sun’s disc behind an object–leaf, rock, building, bear, clown, person, whatever. If you don’t do this–if you have the entire Sun’s disc in the image–you may get more of a blobbish kind o’ sunburst, although it can still work. Hiding a part of the disc enhances the sharpness of the effect. Experiment with varying “bites” out of the Sun, then select the best image later in post-processing.
3) Know that each lens will yield a different effect. For example, my 14-24mm f/2.8 wide angle zoom (as in the above example image) gives much sharper bursts than my 70-200 f/4 telephoto. Generally, straighter blades in the lens diaphragm = sharper rays, while rounded blades = softer rays. Often, older lenses, with their straight blades, give very good results. Practice with all your lenses so you can learn their characteristics. (NOTE: In lenses with an odd number of blades, the number of rays in the sunburst will be exactly double the number of diaphragm blades. If the lens has an even number, the ray count will be equal to that number.)
4) You’ll need to watch your histogram and/or the blinkies in the LCD as the correct exposure may appear very dark. Know that the sunburst itself will blow out a bit, and that’s OK. The rest of the image should not typically have any blown highlights (unless there are reflections or specular highlights somewhere). Also, the shadows will likely be well to the left on the histogram, but they should not be slammed entirely against the left wall–that is, they should be mostly recoverable in post. Consider trying different exposures. If you use base ISO (typically 64, 100 or 200), the shadows can be recovered with less noise.
5) Capture raw files for max ability to manipulate them in post.
6) In post, you will likely have to move the Shadows slider right–maybe all the way–to recover the detail in what will initially look like an underexposed image. Moving the Highlights slider left can adjust your sunburst a bit, reducing an excessive blob effect–experiment. A combination of increasing exposure and reducing the highlights can also help. Increasing Clarity slightly is another way to brighten up the darker areas–but don’t overdo it. Finally, depending on your camera’s noise-in-the-shadows capability, you may need some noise reduction.
Now it’s time to go out and practice!
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