20 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2017
By Jeff Kurrus
"It would have been a really
nice photo if you would have
had a sunburst." It was this brief,
but influential, comment by my
NEBRASKAland colleague Eric Fowler
that turned me once again into a better
photographer.
We were evaluating a set of images
for our upcoming calendar and one
sunrise shot I included just didn't quite
make the cut. "So how do I create the
sunburst?" I asked.
"F22," he simply stated.
Most of the time when I shoot, my
SLR camera's settings are on aperture
priority – I set the depth of field and
the camera chooses the shutter speed
for the exposure of my choosing.
When the angle is just right at dawn
or dusk, Fowler taught me to place my
aperture on F22 to create the desired
sunburst. However, before I shoot the
image I make sure that my shutter
speed is 1/60 of a second or faster.
Anything slower and my shaky little
hands won't create the sharp image
that I intended unless I use a mono or
tripod.
I can also give myself more leeway
by increasing my ISO, but most of the
time, because I'm shooting directly into
the sun anyway, my shutter speed is not
a problem.
My only problem is my regret for not
asking about Fowler's sunburst images
sooner.
■
My Photo Tip – Sunbursts
This sunburst photo was taken at Stagecoach State Recreation Area near Hickman.
Sunrise on a deer
archery hunt
provided an excellent
opportunity for a
sunburst image.
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
