Fourth, you need your lens hood.  Many people tell me they didn’t understand what the lens hood was for or someone told them it made their images darker, so they tossed it.  If you tossed your lens hood, get online and buy a new one.  Worst case scenario, you can use your hand to block the light and get a starburst effect in your photos.  The lens hood doesn’t make your image darker, it helps block the light just like the building or person is blocking part of the light.  This keeps your image from being blasted out from too much light.  During our Portrait of Italy workshop, Brian took a handful of ladies into the tall grass to teach them how to get this starburst shot!  LOVE THIS!

Camera: Sony a6300 Lens: F 28-35mm f/3.5-4.5 16mm f/2.8 ISO 100, Aperture: f/11, Shutter Speed: 1/60th of a sec