Outdoor Photography How To

All outdoor photographers look for a creative edge that make their images stand out from the crowd, especially when shooting iconic sites that have been photographed time and time again. Today's quick tutorial from the KPM YouTube channel demonstrates how to do exactly that by including a perfectly defined sunstar that adds drama and depth when framing up a shot.          

Perhaps this technique is unfamiliar, or maybe you've tried it in the past and your sunstars appeared weak and unimpressive. In either case, all that's going to change in the next four minutes. Here's how Instructor Madhaven summarizes this episode: "I break down the art of photographing sunstars—those radiant bursts of light that can transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary."

Madhaven is a notable adventurer and landscape photographer whose storytelling skills play a big part in the impact of his inspirational imagery. The location for this behind-the-scenes lesson is the beautiful Alabama Hills in California's Eastern Sierra mountains. Madhaven's specific target is the iconic Mobius Arch at sunset where he walks you a simple step-by-step process for creating a clean and more pronounced sunstar.

If you already tried and failed it boils down to this: "Capturing a spectacular sunstar is about much more than pointing your camera and hoping for the best; rather, it's about control. In other words,, control of camera settings, control of composition, and control over the way light interacts with a scene." Once you understand these necessary considerations you'll be well equipped for success.

Careful planning is also super important, and Madhaven works things out so that his arrival coincides with the sun setting inside his subject. Even more impressive is that Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, appears in the background above his sunstar within the arch. A great example how it's possible to create your own luck.

Madhaven is shooting at the short end of a 24-70mm wide-angle zoom and he explains his choice like this: "the wider your focal length, the sharper and more defined a sunstar will be." He suggests setting the camera to ISO 100 with an aperture of f/20 to minimize noise and further accentuate the sunstar.

While many photographers understand why stopping down is the best way to go, Madhaven demonstrates this less familiar trick: "If you position the sun on the edge of a solid object, whether it's a mountain, building (or in this case the arch), the sunstar effect will be intensified."

Madhaven provides a few more helpful in-camera tips, then he concludes the episode by explaining a "pro level" two-image blending technique that retains maximum detail in both the sun and the foreground of a scene. You can find more helpful shooting and editing advice by paying a visit to the KPM Photography YouTube channel.

Speaking of eye-catching photographs, don't miss a recent tutorial we featured with another experienced shooter pro who demonstrates how he use backlighting to capture gorgeous landscape, nature, and wildlife photographs that are impossible to ignore.