What are the large blurry bright spots near lights in my night photos?
Asked 11/1/2015
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2 answers
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I’m shooting a Nikon D3200 with the 18–55mm kit lens and recently started seeing large soft “bubble” spots in night photos. They appear near bright lights. What causes this, and should I clean the lens, filter, or sensor?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
2
They look like smudges but far from the sensor. Check the back and front of the lens, plus BOTH sides of any filters you were using.
There are not sensor dust since they are two wide and blurry, plus sensor dust does not make anything brighter, they are usually dark spots on a bright background, not vice-versa as in your example. If they were some smudges from bad cleaning, for example, then they would be present on every image at the same exact spot, so you can do a quick test to confirm this.
They are positioned like flare, close to bright light sources but their shape are too undefined for it to be that alone. It is possible though that flare is aggravating the presence of smudges. In any case, cleaning of lenses and filters, if applicable, should be your priority.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
These are most likely lens flare/ghosting, possibly made worse by smudges or a filter. They’re probably not sensor dust: sensor dust usually shows as small dark spots on bright backgrounds, not large bright blurry blobs.
Because the spots appear near strong light sources, internal reflections in the lens/filter are the most likely cause. Any filter adds extra reflective surfaces, so remove it and test again. Also inspect and clean the front and rear of the lens and both sides of any filter.
A narrow aperture can make bright lights produce starbursts and can make flare artifacts more noticeable. In some situations, dust or moisture in the air can also create glowing “orb” reflections near bright lights.
Quick test: if the marks stay in exactly the same place in every image, check for smudges or grime on the lens/filter. If they mainly appear only when bright lights are in or near the frame, flare/ghosting is the likely explanation.
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