I found a great article on eliminating Lens Flare over at Digital Camera World.
Sometime lens flare is a welcome effect in our images. As a matter of fact I have spent quite a bit of time and energy number #1 Learning how to shoot lens flare in camera then, #2 Learning how to add lens flare after the fact in Photoshop.
One thing this has taught me is that you can always add lens flare after the fact but removing it is a much different story. So unless I am shooting lens flare on purpose I always follow these three steps to avoid or protect myself from it.
Lens flare method 01: Fit a lens hood
If your wide-angle lens has a lens hood, get into the habit of fitting it. Alternatively, use a piece of black card or your hand to shield the front of the lens – but check the viewfinder to make sure it isn’t creeping into the frame!
Lens flare method 02: Hide the sun
The best way to avoid lens flare when shooting towards the sun is to hide it behind a tree or building, or wait for it to be partly obscured by a cloud. Try composing the photo so that part of the sun is just visible, then shoot at f/16. This will create an interesting starburst effect, but without any distracting flare.
Lens flare method 03: Use a blending technique
The final method Digital Camera World recommends is to shoot for a composite. What I mean by that is to shoot two or more photos. In the main photo you don’t block the sun at all allowing the camera to lens flare. In the additional images you can use you finger to block the sun.
Then simply use a program like Adobe Photoshop to combine the images. You can add the sun with your first image then use portions of the other images to get the look and feel minus lens flare that you’re looking for.
These tips were originally posted over at Digital Camera World
Source: Digital Camera World
