Look at this recent sunburst picture:
Sunburst, Toronto
For a picture like this, a few things may help:
- You need a small(-ish) aperture to get the effect
- Feeding the light through an object (like the tree) is essential for several reasons. One, to enhance the effect. Two, to protect your eyes, Three, to protect your camera.
- Do it quickly. No sense burning the camera.
- Remove filters. They can cause more flare.
Oh…. and can you see that I used a speedlight to light up the tree?
Love the star effect of the sunburst in this picture. What aperture did you use? I, too, love to create the sunburst effect in my pictures. While driving in the Muskoka region 2 weeks ago, I saw the late afternoon sun shining through the forest. I pulled over and took this picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fwangphotography/5073157403/) with an aperture of f/16. I like the idea of lighting the backlit subjects with the flash light, and I will try it next time.