Photography offers endless opportunities to go beyond the basics and create stunning visual effects. Whether you're capturing starbursts from the sun peeking through the trees, light trails in cityscapes, or dreamy bokeh in close-up shots, these techniques can add a creative spark to your photos. The best part? Many of these effects are easy to achieve once you know how to work with different lighting, landscapes, and times of day.

This article is your guide to learning photography techniques for stunning shots.

Ready to take your skills to the next level and add a bit of magic to your shots?

Let's dive in!

1..Starburst

Even the darkest night becomes magical when the stars shine in the sky. The captivating light casts a spell over us, momentarily making us forget the world around us. You want to add a touch of starry magic to your photos? Sure! With your camera, you can create bright shining stars,, even without the real ones!

In situations where individual light sources stand out prominently, such as a street lamp at night or the sun peeking through trees or branches, you can turn this 'necessity' into a virtue!

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

But let's start from the beginning. How do you capture the starburst effect? Essentially, all you need to do is to close the aperture to a very shallow opening. Depending on your lens, stars can be achieved from around f/11 and higher — the more closed — the more pronounced the effect. A certain distance from the light source is also necessary. As the higher aperture number means that the aperture opening is restricted to less incoming light (the smaller the aperture opening, the longer the exposure time), this means that you may need a tripod in many light situations.

These situations include low-light scenarios such as photographing street lamps after sunset, but also daytime photography like capturing the sun peeking through the trees in a dimly lit forest.

Important: Avoid Very Bright Lights.

Spotlighting requires the light source not to be too extensive. If the sun is too dazzling, the glare will appear less defined. Additionally, there's a risk of damaging the sensor and creating unwanted lens flares, which are dot-like or blurred spots in white or other colors on the photo that definitely don't belong there. So, you should exercise caution here — especially in the midday sun!

How Is This Effect Created?

The star effect is created by the aperture's blades deflecting the point-like light source before it reaches the sensor, shaping it in the process. The number of blades in the lens's aperture determines how many rays your star will exhibit. Therefore, the appearance of your stars depends on these factors and, consequently, on the specific lens you're using.

Examples

Artificial Light

*A beautiful, cold winter evening in Stockholm offers a great opportunity to capture the narrow streets illuminated by street lamps.*

Sunlight

*The sun starts to set, peeking through the branches over a river in the forests of Washington State.*

2. Light Trails

As the movements start to blur, the magic begins: individual spots intensify and merge into a radiant beam of bright light. This transformation adds an enchanting dynamism to the scene, capturing the essence of motion within a single photo.

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

In terms of equipment, a tripod is essential for achieving this effect, as the impressive streaks of light are created through a long exposure time. The exact exposure time needed depends on the speed of the moving light source that you capture — the faster the movement, the shorter the exposure time requires to be.

Light trails aren't limited to car lights alone. For those who are imaginative and skilled in 'light painting,' a flashlight can also be used to create artistic motifs within a scene.

Note: Be Cautious Not to Distract Drivers or Interfere with Traffic.

As these kinds of photos may be taken from bridges with traffic below, please be very careful when it comes to positioning yourself.

Depending on where you stand, drivers may be distracted just by someone standing there, for example, because they may fear that someone throws objects or just to observe what a person is doing there. Also, make sure that there is zero risk that any part of your equipment or other stuff falls onto a road! If you are not 100% sure that this is impossible to happen, look for a different spot.

How Is This Effect Created?

This effect is created by blurring the motions of the light source through capturing frames over a longer period of time. This way, the light sources (such as car’s headlights or taillights) themselves disappear as subjects, and only their light emitted at different positions remains, thereby creating a continuous trail of light.

Examples

Upper photo: Blurred car headlights captured on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

Lower photo: Taken from the same bridge but facing a different direction, this image captures the mesmerizing trails of red car taillights.

3. Reflections

Water can act as a natural mirror. Whether it's a serene mountain lake, a tranquil pond in a public park, or the shimmering film of water on the beach after a wave crashes ashore, there are numerous opportunities to capture reflections.

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

When capturing reflections, there are a few key things to consider:

If the water isn’t completely still, it's best to keep the exposure time as short as possible to avoid blurring the reflection. This becomes more challenging in low-light situations, where a tripod may be necessary. To achieve shorter exposure times, you can increase the ISO (though this will introduce more noise) or use a wider aperture (lower f-value), which will result in a lower depth of field. This can be useful if you’re aiming to emphasize specific parts of the reflection.

However, a high depth of field (i.e., a smaller aperture, higher f-value) is often desired. This ensures that both the water and the reflected subject are in sharp focus.

How Is This Effect Created?

Reflections create a sense of calm and symmetry in a photo. Perhaps that's because capturing these elements requires calm, still water and as little wind as possible to avoid stirring up the water's surface.

Examples

Upper photo: A sandpiper tries to catch some food before the next wave crashes ashore.

Middle photo: A tree's reflection in early spring on a very tranquil lake.

Lower photo: A seal is sunbathing on a mossy rock at the marina in Monterey.

4. Bokeh

Bokeh originates from Japanese and translates to out of focus, blurred, or fog. This effect can give a photo a dreamy and ethereal quality.

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

Achieving the bokeh effect is not solely dependent on your camera settings; it also depends on the specific lens used as different lenses produce varying levels of blur. To create a great bokeh in the background, you need a visible light source behind your subject.

Open the aperture as wide as possible (i.e., set the smallest possible f-number). Generally, the wider you can open the aperture (i.e., the smaller the f-number), the better the bokeh effect will be. Bokeh is particularly effective in macro or close-up shots.

To achieve the greatest possible blurring of the background, either increase the distance between the background and the subject as much as possible or shoot with the widest possible focal length.

In sum, combining a wide aperture, with a wider focal length results in a more pronounced bokeh effect and enhanced background blur.

How Is This Effect Created?

Bokeh effects are typically formed from point light sources in the background of your photograph. These could be distant streetlights, small distant bulbs, or reflected sunlight. The light from these sources, when captured out of focus when using a shallow depth of field, forms the circular or spherical shapes that characterize bokeh balls.

Examples

Upper photo: The silhouette of the frozen plant's leaves is visible through many shiny bokeh dots.

Lower photo: The ocean in the background of the blooming ice plant on a cliff is completely blurred, with only some shiny dots reminding us of the sparkling water's surface.

5. Close-up (& Macro Photography)

Make small things big. That's what close-up or macro shots are all about! They allow you to make small subjects stand out and focus on details. The beauty of small animals, such as insects, or the intricate structure of vegetation comes out beautifully when captured in a more detailed fashion.

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

Macro photography typically refers to a reproduction scale of 1:1, where the subject is reproduced on the sensor as large as it is in real life. However, it's not limited strictly to macro photography in the precise sense; it also encompasses close-up photography in general. To delve into true macro photography, a macro lens with a shorter focusing distance is recommended. Nevertheless, impressive close-ups can also be achieved with a zoom lens, as demonstrated in the pictures below. These images were captured using a focal length between 185-250mm.

How Is This Effect Created?

This concept is explained simply and quickly: by making small subjects and details appear large. Since we don't typically navigate the world with a magnifying glass or tunnel vision, capturing these miniature worlds through focused photos gives them a special touch, all thanks to the unique perspective.

Examples

Upper photo: Tiny mushrooms on the base of a tree stump, framed within some branches, create a miniature world effect.

Lower photo: A beautiful morning in the forest, showcasing dewdrops on small clover leaves.

6. Exposure-Related Water Effects: Drops & Blur

Water is not only an essential element for keeping us humans alive but also brings a picture to life! Capturing individual drops or snowflakes from the sky, trees, or wherever they may fall seems to freeze time for a moment. On the other hand, blurred water streams create dynamism and action in the scene.

What Camera Settings and Equipment Do I Need?

Drops

Opt for the shortest exposure time possible to capture the smallest fraction of a moment. A short exposure time necessitates a very bright lighting situation, an open aperture, and/or a high ISO since light is allowed in for only a brief period. The required settings will vary depending on the brightness of your scene and the object you intend to capture. To be more specific, darker lighting situations may require a higher ISO value and/or a wide-open aperture. Keep in mind that your photo may look grainy at a certain ISO (depends on your lens), and a wide-open aperture decreases the depth of field.

Blur

For a blur effect, go for the opposite settings as described above, so to speak. You'll need a rather long exposure time, as you need to capture many frames of the scene. The duration of exposure depends on (a) how fast the water flows (the slower it flows, the longer you need to expose the lens to the scene) and (b) how pronounced you want the blur effect to be (from slight to total blur).

How Is This Effect Created?

With a very short exposure time, you essentially freeze a brief moment of the scene, creating the impression of slow motion in a still picture.

On the contrary, a longer exposure time captures multiple moments of a scene in a single shot, creating a sense of dynamism.

Examples

Drops

Blur

*A stunning sunset scene at the Golden Gate Bridge, with the ocean water washing along the beach.*

I’d Love to Hear From You

Have you tried any of these effects yet? What is your favorite, and what would you add to this list?

6 Must-Know Photography Techniques to Make Your Photos Stand Out: Bokeh, Starburst, and More

Contents

1..Starburst