dariusz - hi melissa. love this series. question. I noticed that you convert to jpeg quite early.. before you start running kubota actions. is this the way or just your preference?? regards. d
Anita Morrison - Just what I needed to know about the image/process. I truly appreciate your sharing the specifics. I will definitely try the some of your suggestions.
Jess - Awesome post - love the photo! and the info is so helpful!
Amaya - Super helpful post! Thank you! Will be folliwing your posts regularly now!
shona - i am glad i stumbled across this...so imformative. Thanks
dani - A really fun to read article, thanks.
Judy - Just came across this post... LOVE it. Love the image. Love that you explained it so well. Thank you. :)
James Tippett - I love your work! Simply amazing!!! Thanks for the time for a demo. of this image!!! James
Elicia - I've loved reading through your tutorials. They are amazing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Allison - This image is pure gorgeousness! Thanks for sharing so much info on how you took it & processed it.
Daniel T. - I totally agree with Diane. Seeing both before and after processing really helps a lot! This has been incredibly useful and thank you so much for your lesson.
Diane Schafer - Thanks for the information... well written with great examples.... I learned something about closing down the aperture for sun flares.. never realized that helped... thanks. diane
lauren - hey melissa, i love reading your faq's - ive read them a bunch of times already, and always learn something new! as its summer here in OZ, ive started shooting a lot of images with sunflare, and i often have trouble focusing on the subject when the sun is on my lens - whats your trick? i shoot in 1 shot (and listen out for the beep, as its so darn bright looking thru the lens!), should i change this setting? also, im sure you've said it somewhere, will have to read again, but do you use the middle focus point, or do you rotate? thanks melissa, your photos are pretty awesome! :)
Deborah Parker - Thank so much for being so candid in talking about the process of how you create an image from conception to post production! It's really refreshing and helpful:)!
Kimberly Wilson - Wonderful post!! LOVE the info on how to shoot sun flares - I've been trying to figure it out for awhile now and just recently discovered the trick to closing down the apeture. Really helpful and GORGEOUS image!! Keep these type of posts coming! ;)
sherry - You absolutely have the best blog i have seen! Priceless information for people like me and incredible artistry to learn from...Please don't stop! You have a gift from God that deserves to be shared...
Erin - VERY helpful, please do keep doing these. Thank you for taking the time.
ANge - SO useful, thank you
Lydia - Thanks for the tips! I'm always wondering how people get perfect flare in their images.
Shannon Schwabe - I love playing with flare too and found this very helpful! Thank you for always sharing!
Web Hosting India - Thank you, very nice collection about the wedding day of Greg & Megan. I had NO idea how can i explain my my excitement about such beautiful wedding day picture,
Jennifer (Rosenbalm Photography) - Don't stop! I love the detail you put into your photos and love to learn more about Kevin's actions. Aren't they great?! You did an AMAZING job on this picture!
Angela - Melissa. I was fortunate to hear your interview on Pictage. I checked out your sight and was also intrigued by your blog. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work! I'm a longtime Kubota user and couldn't live without his wonderful creations!
erin harvey - Thank you Melissa! This is a difficult skill to master and it takes all the different parts. The processing was my big concern, so thank you for the tips and explanation! I love these post so please keep them coming. =)
Chara Michele - I love these kind of posts! Thanks for sharing Melissa! (And I would definitely love if you did more of these kinds of posts :)
alex ho - great tutorial!
melissa - love these posts... keep them coming and personally i think you keep getting funnier and funnier! thanks for keeping me AWAKE at my computer :)
Leah Godfredson - Melissa, I truly love these posts, and can't wait to see more. Sometimes I learn something entirely new, other times it is a refresher for things I have forgotten. Thanks so much, and keep 'em comming!
Emily Hoskins - Thank you SO much! This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for! I have a shoot in the sun this evening and I'm going to give it a shot.
Meredith - No snoozing here - I love your posts that let us learn more about how and why you shot certain images. Keep them coming!
Christina Sandberg - I love these "behind the image" segments. I always find myself wondering how certain shots were done, and a majority of the time when I inquire of the photographer, I never receive an answer. Thanks Melissa for being so generous!
Melissa Kay - Awesome post! Thanks so much for sharing with us. Your explanation is very helpful.
Stephanie King - Wow - the digital flash and sharpening really take the photo from great to excellent. What does the X process do?
Tracy Blake - Thanks for sharing all of your great tips. They are very helpful. Just one question, do you sharpen just for blog posting or do you do it before you print and before you put into an album?
Tana - Thank you so much for this post!!! It is super helpful!
Jodi - I have been trying to figure that out! THANKS!
Dennis Bullock - Great info Melissa! Cant wait to give it a go!
Brittany - I just discovered your behind the image series and am in love. I went through all of them-such great advice and laid out so well. Thanks so much!
Susan Richey - Thanks Melissa!! I just tried this and took 3 shots bracketed at 2 stops apart from eachother and merged them together as a HDR image and WOW! Great results. You are awesome.
Elaine - The only drool I need to clean up off my keyboard, is the drool from looking at your images!! They're fantastic! Even more fantastic, is the fact that you are willing to share tips with fellow photographers! Thank you so much, can't wait to see the next installment...
Catherine - Love the new addition to your Blog! The more info the better! I took a shot yesterday morning with a spider web and flare...amazing. True that what you see through the lens is not at all what you get! Sometimes it's even better! Keep up the great work!
Jo - :D Thanks Melissa! ;) No drool, keep em coming!
jen - i am still here and i love it...now i am know how to do it, and i am going to practice. thank you, please don't stop.
Kat Forsyth - Definitely keep em coming! These are my favourite kind of posts! I remember the day I discovered that a tiny aperture resulted in perfect sun rays - yes, I worked that out all by myself! It was awesome :-) But I love hearing your take on it and what you did in PP. Thanks so much!
Karisa J. - As ordered I am letting you know that I read the whole thing and love these posts! Please keep them coming. Anything that teaches me straight-forward about photography can never come too often!
Karen (Mikols) Bonar - Keep them coming, MJ! I am so used to shooting at 2.8 or 1.4, I need to hear that I have to go to 22 every once in awhile! :)
beck - THANK YOU for this post. Not only am I a sucker for photo "recipes," I've been trying to achieve this for MONTHS. Thanks!
Carolyn Egerszegi - The timing of your post is uncanny. I just spent an hour this afternoon practicing (aka trying hopelessly) to do what you've done here. I could have saved myself a lot of time if I just read your post first! The best tip for me in this post was when you said you used the building to block part of the flare so that it didn't obscure your subject's face. It's completely obvious now that I've read it, but I couldn't figure out how to do it properly today. Anyway, all of that to say THANK YOU for this post. Excellent information for someone who has been dying to learn to shoot flare. You're awesome!
maria Nissen - Well, Melissa, I've decided that your "Behind the Image" series topics are like the fortunes found in fortune cookies...exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for the timely "share".
Anna - Very useful and interesting definitely! I always shoot flare wide open.. wait, I always shoot wide open! Well, almost :P I should definitely try it at f22. Thanks for the post, keep them coming!
Becky Leonard - Wow, that was incredible. I have been contemplating what I can do to make my photography better and I have decided that it is definitely in the post production. Reading about what you do helps so much. You are truly amazing and I am really excited about your new series.
Susanne - Thank you for this post! I do a lot of photo shoots on the beach close to sunset, so I deal with flare A LOT. This definitely helped me to understand how to deal with it and also what to do in post production. You are awesome!
kindra hall - As a non-photographer (but as a big fan of it), reading this makes me feel the exact same way I did when I learned about the true skill involved in baseball (something else I don't do). It's not just -get on the mound, throw the ball at the guy with a bat- ... who knew?! I'm glad YOU know. You are, of course, awesome.
Tanya Mills - I meant to say "my fellow blog readers". Oops! :)
Tanya Mills - Just to echo the thoughts of my blog readers...I love this behind-the-image series. Thank you!
Shannon - I LOVE when you do these posts! They are such a great way for us beginning photographers to get a glimpse into what you do. It really helps us out! Please by all means keep them coming!
Jody - Oh yesss thanks for showing us some of your magic =) I can't wait to try this out!
Stacey Hemeyer - No napping here! I love your explanations! You really make it easy to understand and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and expertise! You are awesome!
Tina - I LOVE these posts:)
Jennifer Wyeth - Great job!! Thanks for all the tips. I blog stalk you and really enjoy all your work.
Regina White - Melissa thanks for sharing! I love this image. Love your blog.
Brittney - No - I loved this... I've been wondering what the trick is here - thanks so much... I love these "Behind the Image" Posts :)
Arielle Haze - I love this! Thank you! What Kubota pkg do you use / have?
Tira J - Please keep doing these posts! I have learned so much from every single one and truly value your transparency and expertise when it comes to these type of things. Thank you so much! Now I know what to do with some flare images I have from a recent shoot. Have a great weekend Melissa Jill aka MJ! Not Michael Jackson! :)
Meghan - Melissa, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for doing these types of posts. I absolutely love your photography and as a budding photographer myself I'm always looking for new ways to shoot. You are so very generous to do this so THANK YOU!
Melinda - I love this type of post, Melissa. Keep them coming! So helpful to this "just starting out" photographer.
~Kristina - I am cleaning up drool but it isn't because of sleep...it's from amazement that you so openly and honestly share these tricks of the trade. Thank you for the sensational how-to. Now, if you have some magic, can you send me some sun so I can try? ;-)
Michelle Sidles - Thank You!! That bit about closing the AP and WHY is so helpful!! I've often been frustrated with these types of shots and I think I've figured out why! Thanks for totally walking us through this. I can't wait for the next installment! :)
Angie - Thanks so much MJ. I love the "behind the image" posts! :) You are awesome!
julianne - I enjoyed your comments on the photo very much. Thanks for doing it!
maggie - Thank you, Melissa, for taking the time to describe exactly what you do. You're not only a wonderful photographer, but an awesome teacher as well. :) This post was very helpful!
Alyssa Schroeder - Great post!
olivia - Definitely keep 'em coming, MJ. Great to see your 'behind-the-scenes' stuff. :)
Sarah Neal - Oh my goodness... lucky fish! I would LOVE to do a wedding at the DBG! (you'll see I went gallavanting there and loved it!) http://photographydesigner.blogspot.com/2009/06/desert-botanical-gardens-phoenix.html - if you even get in a bind and need a second shooter there... think of ME! :)
kelli - very helpful, melissa. i always enjoy these posts. thanks!
Heather - No, I love this! Thank you for explaining what you do - I love learning new things, but I'm sure you know that some photographers get weird about sharing what they know (which, like, come on. You can't take EVERY picture!). Thanks again! I've been playing around with this effect a little, but this is going to help me improve.
laura - LOVE IT - I've been struggling with sun flare for a while and turns out it's because I love shooting at wide open apertures and could never get the sun to stream like yours. Thanks for sharing!!
robyn - Oh yes! Please keep them coming. It's great!
michelle penninga - thanks for sharing your expertise' !! You are very generous to share your knowledge with others....and I know others appreciate it...I do!!
Emily Beaty - VERY helpful. Thanks for being so willing to share!
Liza Roberson - Thanks for the info Melissa! You truly are amazing!
denise karis - no nap here - I loved it!
Bruce Clarke - I really love these posts Melissa. Keep em coming! Looking forward to October's MJ 2 Day!
Abby - thanks for posting this!