[samyshah]

Hello

I have seen many images around the web where the for example the street lights will have like a starry feel to it similar to sun rays.

How does one achieve that? Is it just post processing or something to do with the equipment or the way you shoot a photograph?

Just in-case if I was not able to explain exactly what I meant above - check this link -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelprojec...900427714/

See how the lights have those starbust type starry effects?
This is done in post processing, but is there a way to actually achieve this while taking the shot?

Cheers
Samy

[vlad]

You can get that by closing the aperture to about f/16. Some lenses are better then others for this. One of the good lenses for this effect is the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8.
Another old school way is to add a star shaped cardbord aperture tothe front of your lens. You can cut out any shape you desire. Teddybears included Here's some examples. https://www.google.com/search?q=star+sha...66&bih=667

Another way is to use a plugin for photoshop or Lightroom. Never used one. Don't know if they're any good. Probably not.

[jimbo70]

Buy one of these http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Star-S...4077634499

[vlad]

Yeah, this is another one of the better ways to do it. I never used it but I did see some great results from other with these type of filters.

[kulucriss]

Starburst filters, can get 4 points up to 12 points, probably more

[paul020559@gmail.com]

Hello

I have seen many images around the web where the for example the street lights will have like a starry feel to it similar to sun rays.

How does one achieve that? Is it just post processing or something to do with the equipment or the way you shoot a photograph?

Just in-case if I was not able to explain exactly what I meant above - check this link -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelprojec...900427714/

See how the lights have those starbust type starry effects?
This is done in post processing, but is there a way to actually achieve this while taking the shot?

Cheers
Samy

You might try glycerin on the lens (preferably on a plain filter).

[Beckylouise]

You can buy filters to screw onto lenses of CSCs/DSLRs.

I got a group of filters for around £30 on ebay but you can but singular.

You can buy packs, or 4/6/8 point on their own.

By the looks of it, it's an 8 point filter

[Bruce M.]

To really appreciate this effect your lens should stop down to f22 or higher (rare) this gives the inage a sense of depth as well as star effects on highlight spots. The filters are good but lack this certain depth created In Camera.

[Beckylouise]

To really appreciate this effect your lens should stop down to f22 or higher (rare) this gives the inage a sense of depth as well as star effects on highlight spots. The filters are good but lack this certain depth created In Camera.

My only problem is my sensor is quite small, so it's impossible to get anything out of it without using a high ISO, which presents the problem of huge amounts of noise!

That's generally why I tend to stick to filters, rather than trying to use a narrow aperture- it's not worth the hassle of having to edit the image in Photoshop afterwards!