how'd i do that?

Tessa HD

I was fascinated by all the sparkles from the sun hitting this dew on moss. And then when I was looking at this on my screen I thought it was neat I got a 'big sparkle'.... (accidentally, of course.) One other time I (unintentionally) caught sparkles in a photo in a winter, night-time photo. How can I do this deliberately?

DoctorIt

Very bright point sources of light will always reflect this way off. For example, christmas tree lights always give you that star look. I guess you could do this with any point source of light, as long as you overexpose it locally. As in, xmas lights do it because you're almost always exposing for the dark tree, not the bright lights.

ScottMcLeod

DoctorIt wrote:

Very bright point sources of light will always reflect this way off. For example, christmas tree lights always give you that star look. I guess you could do this with any point source of light, as long as you overexpose it locally. As in, xmas lights do it because you're almost always exposing for the dark tree, not the bright lights.

I seem to remember also somewhere that a higher f-stop causes more of the multi-point flare shown above...

DoctorIt

ScottMcLeod wrote:

I seem to remember also somewhere that a higher f-stop causes more of the multi-point flare shown above...

good point. the number of petals, and thereby the shape of the opening has a drastic effect on lens flare.

gus

DoctorIt wrote:

good point. the number of petals, and thereby the shape of the opening has a drastic effect on lens flare.

Isnt it light leaking through the closed down lens blades

DavidTO

Humungus wrote:

Isnt it light leaking through the closed down lens blades

No, it's the starburst effect that happens when you're stopped down to a smaller aperture.

gus

DavidTO wrote:

No, it's the starburst effect that happens when you're stopped down to a smaller aperture.

Exactly & thus some light will filter in pasted the closed down blades during a long exposure. Correct or do i get afternoon detention ?

DavidTO

Humungus wrote:

Exactly & thus some light will filter in pasted the closed down blades during a long exposure. Correct or do i get afternoon detention ?

Well, it's not leaking, like in your first post. It's just an effect from taking the picture through a very small hole.

gus

DavidTO wrote:

Well, it's not leaking, like in your first post. It's just an effect from taking the picture through a very small hole.

Why wouldnt i get it on my pinholes at f400 then ?

DavidTO

Humungus wrote:

Why wouldnt i get it on my pinholes at f400 then ?

Dah Dah Dah DUM!!!!!!

Warning, Warning, you have reached the outer limits of DavidTO's extensive (not really) knowledge base.


I have no idea....

gus

(crakle of speakers)

Pathfinder to emergency...pathfinder to emergency

Justiceiro

I have never used them, but you can buy "star filters" from cokin or others that make all your light sources sparkle with 4,6, or 8 point "stars." Never really appealled to me, but you might want to check it out.

davev

Demonstrating the F stop phenomenon.

Taken with a Canon Dreb 300 with the kit lens.
ISO-400, Shutter-25 sec, Aperture F36

erich6

OK. I'll geek out.

The reason you get a star-shaped pattern with blade stops is because of diffraction (think back to physics classes if you can remember them). Basically, light is a wave and whenever you pass it through any aperture it will diffract. Diffraction causes a point source to be spread out at the focal plane of the lens.

When you have straight edges, you get a sharp pattern in the direction of the edge, thus the stary look. A perfectly round pinhole gives you an "airy" disk pattern with rings so you might have gotten circular patterns with some light/dark fringes with your pinhole if you happened to get a truly point-source image.

Erich

DJ-S1

erich6 wrote:

OK. I'll geek out.

The reason you get a star-shaped pattern with blade stops is because of diffraction (think back to physics classes if you can remember them). Basically, light is a wave and whenever you pass it through any aperture it will diffract. Diffraction causes a point source to be spread out at the focal plane of the lens.

When you have straight edges, you get a sharp pattern in the direction of the edge, thus the stary look. A perfectly round pinhole gives you an "airy" disk pattern with rings so you might have gotten circular patterns with some light/dark fringes with your pinhole if you happened to get a truly point-source image.

Erich

Long live the geeks! Great explanation, Erich!

Tessa HD

Thanks for all your input!
It's not a phenomenon I'd go for very often, but with certain photos, like this sparkly one, I think it adds something. It's good to know my chances increase with smaller ap and/or special lenses. Thanks! :

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wholenewlight

erich6 wrote:

OK. I'll geek out.

Erich

Feeling very inferior . . .

erich6

Now if I could turn that knowledge into photographic prowess!!