Lens flare is one of the problems you will encounter when shooting in the bright sun, showing up as bright circles on the image. Often you will see multiple circles in a line leading from a very bright light source such as the sun. The flare is a result of the sun bouncing off the multiple pieces of optical glass in the lens and then being reflected back onto the sensor. You can avoid the problem in a couple of ways:
- Try to shoot with the sun coming from over your shoulder, not in front of you or in your scene.
- Use some sort of shade to block the unwanted light from striking the lens. That can be your hand or some other element; you’ll be able to see the flare in the LCD. You don’t have to have the sun in your viewfinder for lens flare to be an issue. All it has to do is strike the front glass of the lens to make it happen.
Of course, the other option is to not avoid it; lens flare can be quite beautiful, even if you didn’t intend for it to appear (Figure 10.4).
