Using flare to your advantage?

[Loupey]

I shot the following in 1987 using a lens I knew would produce a great deal of flare. I intensionally shot it towards the sun (not recommended!) to spice up some otherwise boring shots. I still think it's too distracting as the flare is not uniform.

Shot on Kodachrome 64
Canon A-1
Exposure unrecorded

I'd like to see your examples of when you turned a lens' fault to your advantage. It might give people some new ideas.

[SmartWombat]

Interesting idea, but in this case I think the flare is overpowering.
It can work, but I don't think it does in this image.

[Speed]

I shot the following in 1987 using a lens I knew would produce a great deal of flare. I intensionally shot it towards the sun (not recommended!) to spice up some otherwise boring shots. I still think it's too distracting as the flare is not uniform.

Shot on Kodachrome 64
Canon A-1
Exposure unrecorded

I'd like to see your examples of when you turned a lens' fault to your advantage. It might give people some new ideas.

Flare can be an awesome creative tool. But getting the look just right is tricky to say the least. I think you've got a touch too much in this photo, but it does spice it up. Maybe if it had been behind the clouds (and hence reduced some) it would have made an incredible shot.

Kudo's to you for being creative and trying new stuff. I've done a couple of deliberate flare shots, but nothing really worth showing. I'll put one up tomorrow for you.

[another view]

Flare like that can be really cool in the frame, but I haven't had great results with this on digital. Best results were from a lens that controlled flare pretty well (and a hood) and slide film. Stopping the lens down all the way will shape the flare kind of like a star, and the effect was really great with my 20mm prime lens. Also with a lens that wide, the sun isn't so dominant in the frame. I'll have to dig one of those slides out.

[Loupey]

Thanks, guys

Here's another one for comparison

[Axle]

Loupey,

I tend to agree with Wombat on the first photo the flare is a little over powering. It's much better in the second one.

So far, I've only taken one really good flare shot. This was taken with a KM Dimage Z2