What Is Lens Flare?
Lens flare is a visual phenomenon that occurs when a strong light source — most commonly the sun — enters your camera lens and scatters across the internal glass elements rather than travelling cleanly to the sensor. The result is unwanted light artefacts appearing in your image: reduced contrast, washed-out areas, coloured streaks, or bright geometric shapes overlaid on your scene. Lens flare is not a camera malfunction — it is an optical side effect inherent to multi-element lens designs. Whether it ruins a shot or enhances it depends entirely on context and creative intent. Understanding what lens flare is gives you the control to manage it deliberately rather than being caught off guard.
Lens flare. For some photographers, it's an unwelcome intrusion, a technical imperfection spoiling an otherwise perfect shot. For others, it's a creative tool to instil a distinct, dreamlike quality in an image. In this blog, we'll explore both sides of the lens flare phenomenon, examining how to control it and how to harness it for artistic expression.
What is lens flare?
So, what causes camera lens flare? You can blame it all on stray light. Normally, a lens directs incoming light towards the camera's sensor to create a clear image. However, when strong light sources like the sun enter the lens at an angle, the light can bounce between the glass elements instead of following the intended path. This unwanted light scatters and reflects, which washes out parts of the image and creates hazy artefacts and streaks — which are what we know as lens flare.
Camera lens flare can appear in various forms, from hexagonal shapes and ghost images to streaks and an overall reduction in contrast. These differences occur due to the direction and strength of the light source, as well as the specific design of your lens, specifically the aperture diaphragm.
Can lens flare be avoided?
Understanding how lens flare works helps us to predict its occurrence and find ways to combat it. Lens hoods, those petal-shaped attachments, are your first line of defence. They physically block stray light from entering the lens at extreme angles, preventing unwanted reflections. Polarising filters can also be helpful. They primarily reduce glare from reflective surfaces, but by partially filtering incoming light, they can also mitigate some lens flare caused by scattered light. For more on how optical filters can protect your shots, see our guide to UV lens filters. However, their effectiveness depends on the type and strength of the light source.
If your image already has lens flare and it's too late to be avoided, it can be removed in post-production using Photoshop or similar editing programs. If you're unsure which tool to use, our comparison of Photoshop and Lightroom can help you decide. While it's no easy feat, you can use a clone tool to remove lens flare.
Using lens flare to your advantage
With all this avoiding going on, can lens flare be good? Absolutely! There are ways that you can use lens flare effectively — the key is intentionality. By positioning your camera strategically depending on the direction of strong light sources, you can control the direction and intensity of the lens flare effect. Experiment with different apertures; wider apertures tend to create more prominent flares. Some photographers even utilise special lens flare filters to achieve specific shapes or colours. If you are using a digital camera, the good news is you can use trial and error, inspecting your results on your LCD screen and re-shooting if necessary.
As we mentioned above, post-processing can be used to try to remove lens flare, but you can also add a lens flare effect. This method is simple, as you can place your lens flare strategically where you please, and experiment with different sizes and strengths, depending on what suits your image. If you take this path, remember to think about the direction of the light source to make your lens flare look realistic.
Lens flare photography tips
- Plan your shoot for the golden hour: As well as producing the softest and most picturesque natural light, the golden hour also makes it easier to produce lens flare.
- Take the lens hood off: As we mentioned above, a lens hood shades your lens from light to prevent things like lens flare, so it's safe to say that removing this protection is a great start.
- Shoot into the sun: It's time to forget the old photography rule of shooting with the sun at your back and do the opposite. It doesn't have to be directly in the centre of your frame, but the light source has to be in front of you to produce lens flare.
- Use a wide-angle lens: Due to their design and the shape of their elements, wide-angle lenses tend to flare easily, so they are a great place to start.
- Experiment with different angles: Changing the angle up can be the difference between no flare and dramatic flare. Find your subject, take some test shots and try to find an angle that produces the flare that looks good to you. You'll have to work quickly though, as light changes often.
- Consider when lens flare is appropriate: While we are all for using lens flare to produce dramatic effects, there are times when it is not suitable or it can be overdone. For example, if you are commissioned to shoot a portrait, you certainly don't want to cover your model's face with flare. Just be mindful of how and when you use this effect, and you are well on the way to success!
Now you know the ins and outs of lens flare: how to avoid it and when to use it for more creative photography. Remember, while lens flare can sometimes be a nuisance, it can also be a powerful tool to add character to your photographs.
By following these tips and experimenting with different techniques, you can master the art of lens flare or be equipped to avoid it — the choice is yours.
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What Causes Lens Flare?
Lens flare is caused by non-image-forming light entering the lens and reflecting between internal glass elements, coatings, and the aperture diaphragm. The primary trigger is a bright light source — such as the sun, studio strobes, or streetlights — positioned within or just outside the frame. Several factors influence how severe the flare becomes: the number of lens elements (more elements means more surfaces for light to bounce between), the quality of the lens coatings (premium multi-coatings significantly reduce internal reflections), the aperture setting (smaller apertures like f/16 intensify starburst flare), and the angle of the light source relative to the lens. Zoom lenses are generally more susceptible than prime lenses due to their more complex optical construction. If you're considering switching to a simpler optical design, our guide on choosing a prime lens is a great starting point.
What Does Lens Flare Look Like?
Lens flare can take several distinct visual forms depending on your lens design, aperture, and light source angle. The most recognisable type is the polygon streak — a chain of hexagonal or octagonal light shapes cascading across the frame, directly caused by the aperture blade shape. Veiling flare appears as a milky, low-contrast haze washing over the entire image rather than a localised shape. Ghosting produces semi-transparent duplicate shapes or orbs that mirror the light source. Starburst flare creates a sharp, spiked star radiating from a point light source, most prominent at narrow apertures. Recognising which type of flare you are dealing with helps you decide whether to eliminate it with a lens hood or incorporate it as a deliberate creative element in your composition.
Our golden hour photography tips will help you make the most of this magical window of light.