Now that I have your interest, this type of photography is very rewarding. Images many won't even try are not difficult. Why won't many try to shoot into the sun? Simple. Read the picture taking directions in most books, manuals and film boxes. "Stand with the sun behind you". Keeps lens flare down and the subject squinting. It can give excellent results if you are adept at judging light or are just lucky. But don't plan on getting good results with luck very often. Good results are the result of luck backed by effort and ongoing learning.

A few basics will improve your efforts shooting into the sun quickly.

First, a lens that doesn't flare too much is a big help. So, how do you know? Shoot into the sun and test the lens. In cho

sing my lenses I test them first by going outside and shooting a roll of slide film directly into the sun. First wide open then at at a middle stop and finally stopped all the way down. I place the sun directly in the center of the frame and then in the upper and lower corners. This means I shoot fifteen(15) images with the lens to test it for its flare pattern. I make note of the lens serial number, and in dealing with pro shops I usually have a number of lenses to choose from. You can see I spend a few rolls of film to find the one with the best flare pattern for my use.

So, what is a good flare pattern. For me it is as little flare as possible. Dead center should show no discernible flare with all three apertures. Then, minimal with the off center images. The worst I have ever done is five lenses before finding one I liked. Then I bought it. You can't test one and know it is the best without testing another. Shoot the test roll, get it processed and you will know immediately if the lens is worth buying. Even with high quality glass some are better than others and since you want one that gives specific results directly into the sun this is the only way to find out. Test a few first, then pay the dollars. Much less time consuming than buying, then testing and then exchanging. Especially if you buy mail order gear a lot. Shooting into the sun is a severe test but pays off, IF you do this kind of photography.

One thing I look for wide open is how smoothly the sun records on film. Then stopped down all the way I look at the flare pattern, the "star effect" I get from the small aperture. This can really help an image. I would rather never have one, but since it happens I pick the one that looks best and is most even. It may be a technical 'fault', but I want to make it work for me if I have to live with it.

When I test these I use the "sunny 22" rule. Set for the film speed and shoot into the sun at F/22 and the shutter speed of the film. For the smallest aperture I DO NOT shoot at any other aperture or the testing doesn't work. The lens has to be stopped down all the way. So, with a lens whose smallest stop may be f/32-45-64-90 or 128, I shoot at those apertures. I want to know what the star flare pattern is and won't fully get it at wider apertures. These small tests give me an immediate working knowledge of the lens flare characteristics. Yes, I also shoot a few normal images to check sharpness and a few to check shadow details as well. For me it usually means a roll of film per lens for 35mm. In 4x5 I shoot 3-5 sheets of film total and place a person in the foreground to test shadow detail. I always use a film I already know to keep the variables down. I want to test the lens with the main film I will use so I can see how it looks, not discover a whole new set of problems with an unknown film.

Now you have tested your lens so it is time to get to work in the field. It gets fun and might encourage you to experiment a bit, especially in varied lighting. A lot of good images aren't too good as the is right on the horizon. Too many become clich=E9 shots or the standard, boring sunset everyone else is shooting. Pick some macro subjects or a scene with a strong foreground element to set off the sun and give you depth.

The spider shot is simple. It was shot with a 300mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens with a PK13 extension tube to help me get closer to the spider. I wanted the sun round, not the shape of a closed down lens diaphragm so I shot it wide open-f/2.8. I also bracketed with the shutter speed dial a bit to cover myself. Atmospheric effects(smog) helped the color a bit as well as softening the sun. Focusing on the spider helps the sun to look larger in the viewfinder as the sun is way out of focus. All in all, it works.

One big caution here though, whenever you work into the sun you don't look directly into the subject. I focused on the spider off to the side a bit and then swung the lens into position with the sun right where I wanted it, WITH THE LENS STOPPED DOWN so I could see the sun ball on a very dark focusing screen. Then, I opened up to f/2.8 and looked through the viewfinder from a distance, not focusing on the scene but rather looking only at the contrast of the placement of the spider. Looking directly at the spider, straight on, is a great way to make your ophthalmologist a rich man. Don't do it unless the appeal of white canes and dark glasses is your idea of chic. Be especially careful with bigger lenses as it magnifies the sunlight and will sear(burn the hell out of) your retina before you believe it. One other way to do this is to get a sheet of Xray film to view the sun through, and then keep the viewing to a minimum.

If I haven't scared you away yet, shoot the image as the sun is dropping faster than you will believe. With it this close to the horizon it disappeared in the time it took you to read the technique. It goes quickly so preparation helps a lot. Without it you rely on luck and that doesn't happen that often. Be ready, set & shoot and then relax, all the while checking out the scene, focus and framing without looking directly at the sun. After a bit of practice it will get to be old hat. But, don't let that mean you get boring images.

Push the envelope. Shoot in the morning when the macro work highlights dewdrops in the sun. Shoot off the reflections on the water. Shoot into car headlights or in the house. There are more bright light sources than you realize as you start trying this technique. As soon as you think it can't be done that is one signal to broaden your technique.

Now that you are trying the technique you will soon have images to look at. Study them carefully to see if your vision is expressed on film. You are dealing with high contrast and intense light. It can be modified by smog, fog, clouds, leaves, and a number of other factors. This opens up the whole world as your own creativity is the only limit to what you can do. Now knowing how your lens performs at different apertures, and with the bright light source placed in different locations in the frame allows you to use the camera a bit more creatively. There is a purpose to testing.

Knowing what your gear can do, how it handles the extremes, means you can use those extremes for creative results with the confidence you are going to get good images. This cuts down radically on wasted film. Greater success makes for more fun while out shooting and helps you to keep getting better. Confidence helps your images to improve. Now instead of bracketing all over the place and praying something turns out, you bracket over a much smaller range and pick the best image, knowing a number of them will turn out. A lot more fun.

Now, take a good look at the image of Yellowstone with the steam and sun star. No filters at all. This is how my lens performs with the aperture at f/22, its smallest opening. Basically a "sunny 22" exposure. Simple, easy and fun. At the same time much too easy to over do the idea. Take care you don't come back from a trip with nothing but suns in the frame. Use the technique as one more tool in the quest for quality interpretation of the world, not the only one. Then be careful you don't learn how to do this, try it a few times and then put it in the background never to be used again. A lot of photographers do that with ever new technique they learn. Try it and retire it. This is a sure cure for creativity. If you learn the techniques needed to express your vision, use them when called for and you can't help getting better.

I mentioned some dangers & pitfalls of shooting into the sun. A biggie is using really big lenses. The huge super-telephoto lenses. They magnify.....a lot. So much that a bit of inattention to a Canon F1 with a 500 fluorite lens pointed directly at the sun can melt a hole through a titanium shutter. Titanium shutters are tougher than your eye and shutters can be replaced much easier and cheaper than your eyes. So, again the warning to be very, very careful when shooting into the sun.

When you point the camera & lens into the bright lights source, atmospheric conditions are light modifiers to be used creatively. Fog is great if your vision will let you use it. Soft, diffuse and enveloping or just a bit of softening of the sunball, it varies a lot. Smog is a great help as is blowing sand and dust. Those 'killer' red-orange sunballs come out great when shot through smog or dust. Snow, ice crystals and moisture can help a lot. All bring the extremes of the direct sun down a bit so the sun can be used as a part of the composition rather than the main subject.

You will never know what you can get if you don't try it. Just do so carefully, I don't encourage eye damage and this can damage your vision if you aren't careful. But, work with care and your images will really pop. Best of all, no special equipment is needed. No new lenses, no newer-more expensive camera body. Just learn to use what you have and when picking out a new lens, get one that performs as you like. Your images should improve and your enjoyment definitely will when that happens.

The image of the sun and steam in Yellowstone gives a good look at how my 24mm f/2.8 Nikkor flares when stopped down all the way. The effect in this image works well. Placement up and off to the side allows room for type, logo or masthead printing. The dark area to the lower right allows printing as well. As you look at this one you can see the effect of the "sunny 22" rule at work. No metering problems and little wasted film and not chance on blowing out the meter by having it stare at the bright sun while I try to figure out how to meter the scene. Composition was the only real consideration as the exposure is simple. I had to walk around a bit to get things lined up the way I wanted, then focus, compose and use the cable release as the camera sits on the tripod.

Filters can be used when shooting into the sun but many will add more reflections and glare the film will pick up. The higher quality filters seem to hold up well, but test yours individually to be sure. Most of the time the effect will be seen on the focusing screen if you stop down to the working aperture and look carefully, being careful not to look directly into the sun.

That's it. Simple, easy and effective use of the sun in the frame. You can make it difficult if you try but by basic testing a lot of wasted film is eliminated and you are on your way to better images.

shooter@brigham.net