How To Create Sunstars In Your Photos: A Quick Guide

This article has everything you need to know about how to create sunstars to give your photos that extra sparkle.

If you’ve ever admired those beautiful rays of light bursting from the sun or streetlights in a photo, you’re in the right place.

Sunstars aren’t just a fancy trick – they’re a great way to add interest and drama to your shots, and they can completely transform the mood of your image.

I’ve always found sunstars fascinating; they add a touch of magic to even the most ordinary scene.

And the best part? You don’t need any special gear or complicated techniques – just a bit of know-how and a few tweaks to your settings.

Before we dive in, I’ve got something special for you – my Free Landscape Photography Toolkit!

If you’re just starting out with photography, this toolkit is perfect. It’s packed with easy-to-follow tips and checklists to help you get to grips with the basics of exposure and start capturing stunning photos with confidence.

Download it now, and you’ll have everything you need to begin taking better shots straight away!

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I’m excited to share these tips with you, so let’s dive into the steps to start capturing your own sunstars.

What Causes A Sunstar to Appear?

Without getting too technical, sunstars are caused by diffraction as a result of bending light waves.

You can create them when you have a light source much brighter than the area surrounding it.

This is quite a technical topic so I’m not going to pretend to explain it, but I can highly recommend checking out this excellent article and video by Fstoppers:

What Lens diffraction and When Does Diffraction happen

It’s much more fun to simply just create them, so let’s get onto that –

A stunning view of the Three Sisters rock formation in the Blue Mountains at sunrise, with the sun casting rays across the landscape. Mist fills the valleys, creating a serene and atmospheric scene.

Essential Gear for Capturing Sunstars

Before we jump into the step-by-step technique, let’s talk about some gear that will help you capture sunstars more effectively:

A Tripod: This is a must-have for keeping your camera steady, especially when using slower shutter speeds. It helps you avoid any unwanted blur in your sunstar.
A Remote Shutter Release: This handy tool reduces camera shake, giving you sharper results when shooting with a tripod.
Wide-Angle Lens: These lenses are great for capturing sunstars, allowing you to include more of your scene while keeping the sun smaller in the frame.
A Lens Hood: Helps block stray light and reduces the chance of unwanted lens flare, ensuring your sunstar remains the main focus.

How To Create Sunstars: Step-By-Step

The key to capturing a sunstar is all about getting your aperture just right – this is what makes those light rays really stand out.

1. Clean your lens: Dust can create unwanted lens flare, so start with a clear lens.

2. Choose your shooting mode: Set your camera to Manual or Aperture Priority Mode. This gives you better control over your exposure settings.

3. Set your aperture between f/16 and f/22: This small aperture creates the sunstar effect by forcing light to bend around the blades inside your lens.

4. Keep your ISO at 100 (or as low as possible): This helps minimise noise in your shot.

5. Adjust your exposure:

Manual Mode: Set your shutter speed to underexpose by 1-2 stops. This helps to avoid blown-out highlights and makes your sunstar stand out more.
Aperture Priority Mode: Use Exposure Compensation to achieve the same underexposure.

Here’s the rundown if Exposure Compensation is new to you:

A city skyline at night with bright blue laser beams stretching across the sky. Skyscrapers are illuminated in shades of blue and purple, with the text 'What Exposure Compensation Is And How To Use It' displayed at the bottom.

Tips On Creating Sunstars

Creating sunstars might seem tricky at first, but with these tips, you’ll find it’s a lot easier than you think. Here’s how to make your sunstars really shine:

Pay Attention to Your Shutter Speed

When you use a small aperture (f/16 to f/22), your camera lets in less light, which can slow down your shutter speed.
If you’re using a tripod, slower shutter speeds are no problem since your camera will be steady.
If you’re shooting handheld, you’ll need to be more careful. You might find that you need to increase your ISO (the camera’s sensitivity to light) to keep the shutter speed fast enough. This helps prevent any blur and ensures your sunstar stays sharp.

Use a Smaller, Intense Light Source

The sunstar effect is stronger when the sun is smaller in your frame, so look for moments when it’s just peeking over a mountain, through some tree branches, or around a building. This creates those lovely, defined rays you’re aiming for.
Early mornings and late afternoons are perfect times for this because the sun is lower in the sky and more manageable for capturing a clear sunstar.

A beautiful autumn orchard with rows of trees showcasing vibrant orange and red leaves under a clear sky. The sun peeks through the branches, creating a warm, glowing effect.

Block Part of the Sun with Another Object

Try positioning something in front of the sun, like a tree, rock, or even a person. This helps reduce the sun’s brightness and creates sharper rays, making the sunstar stand out more in your shot.
It’s a simple trick but can make a big difference in controlling the light and getting that sunstar effect just right.

Consider the Weather

Clear skies will give you the most distinct sunstars, but don’t ignore the beauty of a bit of fog or haze. While it softens the effect, it can also create a dreamy, atmospheric look that adds character to your image.
Remember, there are no strict rules – it’s all about experimenting with different conditions to see what works.

Keep Your Composition Simple

Think about the overall composition of your image. What do you want your viewers to focus on? The sunstar should add to your photo, not steal all the attention.
A simple background helps the sunstar pop, so try to remove any unnecessary elements from your frame that might distract from it.

Coastal scene at sunrise with a watchtower on a rocky outcrop, accompanied by the text "Top Composition Techniques for Better Landscape Photos" at the bottom.

Move Around and Experiment with Angles

Sometimes, finding the best sunstar is all about changing your position. Move a little to the left, right, up, or down and see how the sun interacts with objects around it. Even small adjustments can create a stronger, more defined sunstar.

Protect Your Eyes and Camera

This one’s really important – avoid looking directly into the sun for too long. It’s not just bad for your eyes but can also damage your camera sensor if you’re not careful. Quick glances are okay, but always be mindful of safety.

Try Other Light Sources

Sunstars aren’t just for the sun! You can create similar effects with streetlights, car headlights, or even candle flames at night. The same principles apply – use a small aperture and make sure to have a tripod for those longer exposures.

Sydney Opera House illuminated at night with vibrant, colorful lights projected onto its sails, reflecting beautifully in the water. The surrounding city lights add to the captivating nighttime view

The Lens You Use Matters

The lens you use really does make a difference when it comes to capturing sun stars, and it’s one area where spending a bit more can pay off.

Better-quality lenses often give you sharper, more defined stars, while some cheaper options might not deliver the same level of detail.

Sun stars appear when light passes through a small aperture and spreads out across the aperture blades inside your lens.

The number of these blades decides how many points your star will have, and the straighter the edges of the blades, the sharper your sun star will look.

So, if you’re aiming for those crisp, eye-catching sun stars, it’s worth investing in a quality lens.

Wide-angle lenses are a good choice for this effect, and they’re a great place to start if you’re ready to give it a go.

Dealing With Lens Flare

Lens flare can sometimes sneak into your photos when you’re shooting sunstars, especially when the sun is bright and direct. While flare can add a creative touch to your images, it’s often something you’ll want to avoid to keep your sunstar sharp and clear.

Here’s how to manage it:

Use a Lens Hood

A lens hood is a simple and effective tool for blocking stray light from hitting your lens, reducing unwanted flare. If you’ve got one, always pop it on when shooting towards the sun – it’s a small step that can make a big difference.

Adjust Your Angle

Sometimes, all it takes is a slight shift in your position to minimise lens flare. Move around a bit – step to the side, change your height, or adjust your angle. By altering how the sun hits your lens, you can often find a spot that keeps flare at bay while still capturing a great sunstar.

A breathtaking view of a mountain range at sunset with the sun casting a brilliant golden light over the landscape. The scene features rugged rock formations and dense trees bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.

Block the Sun with an Object

You can use something in your scene to block part of the sun, like a tree branch, building, or even your hand if you’re in a pinch. This technique not only helps with creating a sunstar but also cuts down on lens flare by stopping direct sunlight from hitting your lens.

Clean Your Lens Regularly

Dust and smudges on your lens can make flare worse, so make sure your lens is clean before you start shooting. A quick wipe with a lens cloth can help you avoid unwanted reflections and keep your sunstar looking sharp.

Use Your Hand as a Shield

If you don’t have a lens hood or just need a bit of extra help, try using your hand to block the sun’s rays from hitting your lens directly. Hold your hand just out of the frame to shade your lens, but be careful not to accidentally capture it in your shot!

Embrace the Flare (Sometimes)

While you might want to avoid flare most of the time, don’t be afraid to experiment with it now and then. Sometimes, a bit of flare can add an interesting element or mood to your photo, so feel free to play around and see how it looks.

Combining Multiple Images

If you want to get even more creative with your sunstars, you can try combining multiple images. This technique starts in the field, where you take a few different shots to capture various parts of the scene. Later, you blend these together in Photoshop to create a balanced sunstar effect that stands out.

It’s a bit more involved but definitely something worth exploring if you’re ready to take your editing skills up a notch.

There are some great tutorials online to guide you through the process when you’re up for the challenge!

Common Issues and How To Fix Them

Even with the right settings, you might still run into a few challenges when capturing sunstars. Here are some common issues beginners face and how to fix them:

Not Enough Rays: If your sunstar doesn’t look as defined as you’d like, try using a smaller aperture (e.g., f/22 instead of f/16). This should produce more distinct rays.
Blurry Sunstars: This is usually down to camera shake, especially if you’re shooting handheld. Make sure to use a tripod or increase your ISO to maintain a fast enough shutter speed.
Too Many Distractions in the Frame: If your sunstar isn’t standing out, simplify your composition by removing unnecessary elements from your shot. This will help draw more attention to the sunstar.

Graphic with tips for creating sunstars, including using a small aperture (f/16 to f/22), keeping ISO low, finding a small light source, blocking part of the sun, moving around, and using a tripod. An image of a sunstar over a mountain is included on the right — Save this on your phone so you’ve got it when you’re out and about

Conclusion

This article was all about how to create sunstars in your images, giving you the tips and techniques you need to capture them with confidence.

Creating sunstars is a brilliant way to add that extra bit of magic to your photos, and now you have all the tools you need to capture them with confidence.

It’s all about using the right settings, paying attention to your aperture, and being mindful of your shutter speed and light sources.

As you practise, you’ll start to see how even small changes in your positioning or the time of day can make a big difference in how your sunstars turn out.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different compositions and angles – sometimes, the most stunning results come from trying something new.

The more you practise, the more you’ll develop a feel for when and how to capture that perfect sunstar.

So, take your camera, head outside, and enjoy the process of capturing these beautiful effects.

With a bit of patience and creativity, you’ll soon be adding sunstars to your images like a natural.

That’s it for now – Keep Clicking

How To Create Sunstars In Your Photos: A Quick Guide

Essential Gear for Capturing Sunstars

How To Create Sunstars: Step-By-Step