7 Simple Ways to Avoid Lens Flare in Sunsets for Stunning Golden Hour Shots

Heather Balawender April 21, 2025

0 457 5 minutes read

Capturing a sunset is a favorite moment for photographers. That warm golden light can make a simple photo feel magical. But there’s one problem that often ruins the shot—lens flare. Those bright, ghost-like streaks or spots of light can turn a perfect image into a messy one.

Lens flare usually happens when your camera lens points toward a strong light source, like the sun. It shows up as circles, haze, or loss of contrast, especially during golden hour. While some photographers add it on purpose for an artistic effect, most prefer clean, sharp photos.

So, how do you stop lens flare in sunsets? That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this guide. Whether you’re using a DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone camera, these tips will help you shoot beautiful sunset images without flare.

If you love photography, be sure to explore Goo Photo—a resource packed with guides, tutorials, and gear advice to level up your photo game.

How do you get rid of lens flare

Understand What Causes Lens Flare

Before you fix something, you need to understand it. Lens flare happens when non-image forming light (like sunlight) enters the lens. This light reflects off the lens elements and camera sensor, creating glare or ghost images.

Two main types of lens flare include:

Veiling flare: This looks like a washed-out haze, which reduces contrast and color.
Ghosting flare: These are bright, often circular shapes that appear in your frame.

It’s common during sunsets because the sun sits low on the horizon, making it more likely to hit your lens directly.

The shape of the flare depends on your lens’ aperture and the number of elements inside the lens. Cheaper lenses usually flare more because they lack good coatings.

Here’s why sepia photography sometimes avoids this issue: Since it’s often shot in lower light or filtered light, flare becomes less common. You can learn more about that through sepia photography, which embraces vintage tones and soft lighting.

Use a Lens Hood or Your Hand

A simple fix for flare is blocking the direct sunlight from hitting your lens. A lens hood is designed for this purpose. It shades the front of your lens from stray light, helping reduce flare and increase contrast.

If you don’t have a hood, use your hand, hat, or even a notebook to shield the lens. Just make sure it doesn’t appear in your frame.

Steps to do it right:

Stand at an angle so the sun isn’t directly in front.
Hold your hand just above or beside your lens.
Check your camera’s LCD or viewfinder to see if flare disappears.

This trick works especially well during strong backlighting conditions like sunsets.

Pro tip from experience: On one beach trip, I forgot my lens hood. I used a friend’s baseball cap to shade the lens. That small change made the difference between a foggy shot and a crisp photo.

According to Photography Life, lens hoods can reduce flare by up to 90% in direct sunlight conditions.

Change Your Shooting Angle

Sometimes, all you need is a slight change in angle to avoid flare. Even turning your body just a few degrees can reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the lens.

Try these position changes:

Shift the sun to one corner of the frame.
Use objects like trees or buildings to block direct sunlight.
Shoot from a slightly lower or higher position to redirect reflections.

Changing the angle can also give you more dramatic shadows and add depth to your composition.

When I started experimenting with street sunset photography, I learned that just stepping two feet to the left made flare disappear. Play around with movement. It costs nothing but can improve your shots instantly.

Clean Your Lens Before Every Shoot

Dust, oil, and smudges can make flare worse. They create tiny reflective surfaces that scatter light even more. So always clean your lens before heading out.

Use this cleaning checklist:

Microfiber cloth for fingerprints and smudges.
Lens blower to remove dust.
Lens cleaning solution for tougher spots.

Even smartphone cameras need a quick wipe with a clean cloth. You’d be surprised how a greasy fingerprint can ruin a perfect sunset.

Scientific Insight: According to Canon USA, flare can worsen by up to 30% on dirty lenses because oils scatter light unpredictably.

Use Prime Lenses with Fewer Elements

Prime lenses (those with a fixed focal length) usually have fewer glass elements than zoom lenses. Fewer elements mean fewer reflections and less flare.

Advantages of prime lenses:

Sharper image quality.
Less internal reflection.
Often come with better coatings.

If you shoot a lot of sunsets, invest in a good 35mm or 50mm prime lens. These are lightweight, great in low light, and often deliver better contrast.

I use a 50mm f/1.8 for most of my outdoor sunset shots. It’s simple, fast, and cuts down flare when I angle it right.

Use Filters Smartly

Filters can both help and hurt your sunset shots. Dirty or cheap filters often add more flare. But high-quality filters with multi-coating reduce reflections.

Best filters to use for sunsets:

Polarizers: Reduce glare and improve color contrast.
ND filters: Help expose the sunset properly without overexposing the highlights.

Make sure your filter is clean. Avoid stacking multiple filters unless you absolutely need them.

Tip: When I used a polarizer with multi-coating on my 24mm lens, I noticed almost no flare, even in strong light. It also made the sunset colors pop.

According to B+W Filters, multi-coated filters can reduce flare by up to 98% in strong light environments.

Edit the Flare Out (When All Else Fails)

Sometimes, flare just sneaks in despite your best efforts. That’s where editing software comes in. Tools like Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, or Luminar offer healing tools to remove spots and glare.

Steps for editing flare:

Use the Spot Healing Brush to remove ghost spots.
Adjust contrast and blacks to restore washed-out areas.
Add gradient filters to balance exposure.

Still, it’s best to get it right in-camera. Editing should be your last step, not your backup plan.

Final Thoughts

Sunset photography is both rewarding and tricky. Lens flare can sneak up and ruin your best shots, but the good news is—it’s avoidable. With some planning, a clean lens, and small adjustments, your golden hour images can glow just right.

Remember to experiment and trust your eyes. What works in one situation might not in another. Photography is about learning and growing through each click.

Got your own lens flare horror story or secret trick? Drop it in the comments! And if this helped you, share the article with your photographer friends.

Happy shooting!