A sun star is an effect in landscape photography where a prominent light source (usually the sun or its reflection) is made into a focal point of light with sharp points that look like a star. The sun star in the photo below is the sun’s reflection which is behind my friend Keo’s legs!
Sun stars add a focal point, or an element of interest to any landscape shot, whether in a wide open space like this one where it happens to also align right next to my subject, or can be the subject itself in a photo where the light is say, streaming through some trees. Sun spots don’t just occur, however, they are created!
Here’s how:
Small Apertures
Depending on your camera lens, your aperture will range from anywhere in the 2.8 range to around 22. The bigger the number, the smaller the aperture. Which means when your camera is set to an f-stop of 22, the lens is contracted. And when it is set to an f-stop of 2.8, it is as wide open as the lens will allow.
The key to sun stars is a small aperture. To make a crisp, elegant sun star, turn your aperture to as small as it will go, focus your shot, and presto, you’ll get a star.
This works best with a bright light source, where you can make your aperture as small as it will go and still have plenty of light filter in. Experiment with different times of day to get different colors and effects. It also works best with unobstructed light, so a nice, clean source without clouds or haze. Basically, if you want a sharp star, you need sharp light.
This is a really fun thing to play with in climbing photography out in the mountains, as the sun is typically always bright and the sky clear (unless you chose the wrong weather window to be out), so next time you bring your camera along, get creative and see what kind of stars add intrigue to your photos!