A sunburst is actually much easier to photograph than you might think. It looks hard but honestly with a day as pretty as this and so much amazing light, you can shoot just about anything. My camera was out all weekend because it could not have been more gorgeous here in Charlotte. Blue skies, bright sun and perfect 80° temperatures. I love summer. And I love a great sunburst image.
So how can you get one too? Here are two really simple steps.
First, close your aperture down as much as you can. Aperture is the unit of measurement that defines how big or small you want the opening in your lens. A large opening lets in a lot of light. A small opening lets in less light. I love light. I love lots and lots of light so I shoot with my aperture really wide (i.e the opening really big) most of the time. However, in order to capture a sunburst you have to reduce that opening and let less light in. My aperture setting for this shot was f16. In comparison when I open the aperture up and let in more light I’m usually shooting at an aperture less than f3. That’s a big difference but it’s why a sunburst works so well when you make that opening smaller. The light that does come in is so much more well defined.
Second, find something to block part of the sun. In the picture below, I used leaves but anything that partially blocks the sun will help – a building, a person, a mountain, etc. That’s it. Two easy steps to capturing your own sunburst. Now get outside and try it! It make take a few tries but it’s really a very simple technique. The hardest part may be figuring out where to change your aperture!
Click here for more photography tips including advice for using both a DSLR and iPhone camera.
.jpg)
Interested in taking better pictures? I offer one-to-one, hands-on mentoring for photographers of all levels, from beginners to experienced pros. Scroll down to “education” on my details page or contact me to learn more.
Abbe McCracken is a natural light, on-location portrait and lifestyle photographer serving Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas of Matthews, Ballantyne, Weddington and beyond. She specializes in family, child and event photography.
