How do you do this?

[juanita_ramirez]

<p>Good work, Richard. You've clearly got some decent post-production skills.</p>

<p>I'm still a gal who believes there's nothing like the real thing, but in a pinch that could be useful. I'm more focused on off-camera flash which when brought in from the back can give amazing highlights that cannot be reproduced in post-production.</p>

<p>thanks for sharing!</p>

[richardsnow]

<p>I agree that there's nothing like the real thing, but to avoid ruining your sensor by shooting into the sun to try to get the right flare, it's a good compromise.</p>

<p>I've looked more into Ms. Lyon's online portfolio, and I agree that she does a fair amount of set-up in addition to additional post to achieve her "look." I do not believe that there is anything wrong with this, but it's harder to figure out what exactly is done, other than desaturation and possibly adding noise for a grainy film look in a few images. The ghosting could, in fact, be a UV filter or, if used, a star filter. HOWEVER, ghosting is very hard to predict, so it could also be done in post. Hard to tell without directly contacting Ms. Lyon about how she creates her style. Not sure she'll share since it does set her apart from other photogs. Good luck if you do ask her.</p>

[juanita_ramirez]

<p>I've shot couples at sunset A LOT and have never experienced any problems with sensor damage that I'm aware of. While I'm not going to back up your warranty, I really think that there's very little danger in shooting the sun at sunrise/sunset if it's partly obscured behind a cloud (like in your example photo) or otherwise not particularly bright. I guess I shoot enough, though, that I'd rather pay the price to get my sensor replaced than not be able to get beautiful back-lighting at sunset. </p>

<p>For the record, if you called and asked me how I shoot my photos, I'd either tell you 1) it's a trade secret that I don't share or 2) I offer a class for $X00 where I can show you exactly how to do that. I'm more than willing to be brat when it comes to stuff like this. I think it's rude to even ask how it was shot. Knowledge is power, and while I don't want to be rude, I don't see a reason to give away information about what makes me competitive.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Juanita--your prerogative on saying how you shoot stuff, but many photographers have no problem with it and don't think it's rude, so no harm in asking. However, most effects aren't hard to figure out, particularly with digital. You can go out and shoot, based on hypotheses or research and keep shooting until you figure it out--even with processing.</p>

<p>As for the sensor damage--sure, shooting the occasional sunset and even, bright sun is probably not going to ruin your sensor. The photographers I mentioned shoot sun flare shots *a lot*, like every engagement shoot, every wedding, more than just a sunset. They also said sensor damange won't keep them from continuing to shoot sun flare shots. Again--their prerogative, your prerogative. I'm not trying to scare anyone.</p>

[juanita_ramirez]

<p>Nadine, I didn't mean to suggest that people can't contact the photographer and ask--I just suggested that they shouldn't expect that they'll get the warmest reception. Some people are less willing to share than others. The specific photographer mentioned is established but fairly young, and may be like me--unwilling to give out information for free.</p>

<p>Certainly anyone who takes the time can go out and figure out how to shoot virtually any shot. That said, a lot of people aren't that motivated. I paid my dues with education and time behind the camera. I'm not willing to give that away for free. I'm fine if other people are, but don't be disappointed if some of us are less willing to share.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>I'm not disappointed--just responding to your statement that you thought it was rude to ask. Just pointing out not everyone thinks the same way, so Richard's and others' suggestions to ask are not unfounded. We've even had threads here where people have wondered, as Missy did, how a certain photographer did x. In several cases, the photographers responded to the thread. That's all.</p>

[b._psyentific]

<p>This photographer uses the Totally Rad Actions for photoshop. Dig deeper into her blog and you will see the recipes she uses to get the overall color toning for her images. As for composition and lighting techniques, photoshop won't help but, you can certainly take an educational guess on how she achieves the lighting for the scene.</p>