Starlight Effect: Creative Use of Aperture

Written by: Tiffany Joyce

Ever wondered how photographers make sources of light in photos appear like they’re twinkling? What most pros do is attach a starlight filter which automatically makes points of light flare. You can even twist the filter to adjust the effect much like a polarizer.

If you don’t want to spend money on something that you won’t end up using everyday, then you can emulate this effect just by adjusting your aperture to a very small opening like f/22 and you’ll get the same effect.

The first photo above was taken at F/4 while the second was taken at F/22. You can see the difference in the sun’s reflection in the upper right hand side. The effect will be more pronounced if the background was darker.

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