hey can y'all help me out with this flare problem?

[warriormom]

hey all--i was wondering if y'all could help me out with an issue. in this photo, you see the very obvious ghosty light coming from the all the lights in this shot?

i am using my delicious new tokina 11-16 on my d90. i do have a uv filter on AND i have just realized that i have not had my viewfinder covered while doing some of these shots which may be partially responsible, though i have had images where the same thing happens just as a result of the long exposure.
the second image is my settings for this shot so you can see it is a pretty long exposure time.

My question is this: will a circular polarizer be useful in isolating these problem areas and toning them down a bit or eliminating them?

 

[Dave_W]

A hood may reduce some of these ghost flares but typically you'll find that re-positioning of your camera relative to the problematic lights will remove the bulk of this problem. Try raising/lowering your tripod as well as moving left/right until you find that sweetspot where the glare is gone. As for covering the viewfinder, no, that is only important when you're shooting in very low light situations and the light leakage from the viewfinder will creep into the image. That wouldn't be an issue in a shot like yours.

You could try using a CP but I doubt it will be nearly as effective as a simple re-positioning of your camera.

Also, can you tell me why you have the exposure bias set at -3.7 steps?

 

[Eye-level]

Might try using your hand to block the flare?

 

[warriormom]

hmm, no, mojo dave, i can't actually tell you why it was at -3.7. that is a mystery to me as well. my guess is that while i was trying to set the camera (which i was standing on tiptoe to see) to be remotely operated, i inadvertently hit the EV button and spun the dial. i will have to look at my other shots and see if it is the same, because quite honestly, i rarely adjust that value and even more rarely into the negative. luckily, i get to do this shot again this weekend. i have other shots in the same area where the lighting is wall sconces at about head level. don't know how i can adjust the tripod downward enough to dodge those light bullets, but i will give it a shot. also, after a little more reading, i am also going to remove the uv filter and i will just for the heck of it cover the viewfinder. there were two windows behind and the sun coming in one of them, hitting the wall directly behind me. i am certain i can do better than this!!

 

[Lee]

I know this is an old thread but it got my attention because I find I have to be very careful with my 11-16 Tokina where light is concerned for the same reason. It seems to be prone to flare more than any of my other lenses. I don't use filters on my lenses unless they are specific purpose ones so that's not the cause of the issue for me. A lens hood does help too. I have found that the wide angle lenses need to be kept immaculately clean and I have little issues with sun flare. The problem seems to be caused by artificial lighting. Just wondering if the OP found any solution to the problem