The Magical Discovery: Looking Into the Spectrum
One of my pleasant surprises while building and experimenting with prism suncatchers was looking directly into the light spectrum through a camera. With the rainbow landing on the lens itself, the particular wavelength (color) could be found flashing from the prism facet. I say flashing because it is so bright, but constant, unless you moved. If you can hold your position and the suncatcher is still stationary, you will see a constant, incredibly rich colored light beam.
Just a minor shift of either the camera or the suncatcher, however, will cause the lens to go off that specific band of light or transition instantly onto another color. It is a mesmerizing, highly dynamic effect. While experimenting, I have seen almost every single color of the spectrum brilliantly illuminating the lens—except violet, which remains an elusive mystery!
"By positioning the lens directly in-line with the refracted rainbow spectrum, the crystal facet behaves like an organic, intensely saturated colored light source, bathing the camera sensor in pure, unfiltered color."
How to Capture the Prism Flash in Portrait Sessions
You can easily incorporate this breathtaking in-camera effect into your portrait photography. By capturing both the subject and the brilliant, flashing beam of colored light, you create a captivating, fine-art portrait that cannot be replicated with software filters.
But don't overlook the beauty of the obvious: you can also create stunning, ethereal fine-art images simply by photographing your subject with the vivid rainbows cast directly onto them and their surroundings. Allowing the saturated color bands to drape across your subject's skin, hair, or clothing, or highlighting the natural textures of the room, produces a painterly, dreamlike quality that instantly elevates any environmental portrait.
Step-by-Step Technique:
- Position Your Subject: Have your subject take a position facing the same direction as the prism suncatcher, which should be hung in the frame as a gorgeous background or foreground element. They should be bathed in the natural, direct sunlight.
- Hang the SunRain Suncatcher: Ensure the SunRain suncatcher is securely positioned in the direct light, actively projecting its 400-facet rainbow pattern across the scene.
- Align Your Camera: Set up your tripod or hold your camera directly in-line with any of the projected light spectrums. Watch the viewfinder or live view screen closely.
- Locate the Flash: Move the camera slightly until a brilliant color band meets the lens. You will see an intense, vivid colored flash radiating from the prism facet directly into your lens. Take your photo the moment you see this pure light.
Managing Backlight and Aperture
Because you are facing the sunny window or skylight where the prism suncatcher is hanging, you will be shooting into a highly backlit, high-contrast environment. This means your camera's aperture will naturally be small (such as f/8 to f/16), or your shutter speed will need to be very fast to control exposure. Be prepared to shoot a few different setups, bracket your exposures, and try capturing different color bands from the prism.
Overcoming Technical Challenges
While the rewards of this technique are spectacular, shooting directly into high-contrast direct sunlight requires some careful balancing to keep your portraits sharp and professional.
1. Use a Fill-In Flash or Reflector
Since the background (the sunny window and the flashing prism) is extremely bright, your portrait subject's face may fall into deep shadow. To resolve this, use a subtle fill-in flash, a portable LED panel, or a gold/silver reflector. This keeps the subject's face beautifully illuminated and clear while the lens captures the brilliant prism flash.
2. Exposure Bracketing and Setup Variety
Do not rely on just one exposure setting. Enable exposure bracketing on your camera to capture multiple frames at varying brightness levels. This ensures that you can perfectly blend or select the frame that balances the delicate highlights of the flashing prism with the rich tones of your portrait subject.
3. Chase the Spectrum Colors
Try slowly pivoting around the light spectrum to capture different color flashes. A slight lean to the left might change your flare from a fiery red to a vibrant green or a deep, rich cyan. Each color lends a completely different mood and atmosphere to your portrait session.
Why the SunRain Suncatcher is Your Best Lens Tool
Unlike cheap plastic or standard window glass with a low refractive index, every SunRain suncatcher uses only 30% lead-glass crystal manufactured by Asfour Crystal. This premium lead crystal bends light with incredible precision, dispersing the sunbeam into extremely wide, distinct, and saturated bands of color. The exceptional optical clarity of Asfour glass means less light is lost inside the prism, giving you maximum brightness, sharp boundaries between colors, and the most vivid flashes possible in your photographs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SunRain photography work with a phone camera?
Yes. Phone cameras with a portrait or wide lens both work well. Good phone cameras are easy to get light adjustments automatically.