Brighter Than the Sun

"This is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart.It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun. We could be the stars, falling from the sky, Shining how we want, brighter than the sun."

~Colbie Caillat

Sunbursts.  Sunbeams.  A glimmer.  Rays of sunshine.  Golden light.  A sparkle and a twinkle.  Sun flare.  The clouds part above as the angels sing...  Call it what you want, but it is oh-so-beautiful.  Ever since I first figured out how to capture that on my camera, it's kind of been an obsession of mine.  Quite a few people have told me, "Oh, you can avoid that by using a lens hood."  Oh yes, I certainly have one of those. And oh no, I rarely use it.  I prefer to tilt my lens just so, knowing that I'll have a better chance of getting those twinkling rays to grace my photographs.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, are a few of my favorites.

*My first ever sunburst photo, taken on the Charles River by my home.

*Cape Cod.  A Yarmouth beach at sunset.

*Barcelona, Spain.

*An all-time favorite, and one that has made it to my walls.... Check out that sun flare!  Il Colosseo, Roma.

*The sunlight gave this photo taken in a plaza in Salamanca, Spain a very warm feeling to it...

*And finally, those gorgeous beams hitting an ancient stone entryway in Taormina, Italy.

So really, call it what you want, but there's no denying that those sunbeams are the most amazing thing to "catch" in  your photographs.  Hoping to capture a few in my upcoming sessions.... yet another reason to keep my fingers crossed for some more sunny days!