I think when it comes to photographing weddings, engagements, and even families, the sun is my favorite and greatest prop. So much beauty in one little sunstar!
Creating a sunstar is not the easiest of tasks. First of all, if you want any sort light on the couple (as in you don't want it to be a silhouette), off camera lighting is a must. You can always fix it in post processing, but for us, we'd rather get it right in camera thus minimizing editing time.
Also, if you want a sunstar, your aperture has to be pretty small (a higher number). We usually find that, depending on the lens, you have to be at least at f13 on a good day, or sometimes f18.
The hardest part of the whole thing is taking the picture. Getting the sun in the right spot, focusing (can be a challenge with all that sunlight) and not blinding yourself makes the whole thing interesting. Usually after we shoot a couple of sunstar shots, we have to take a moment for our eyes to focus again. Good times.
But, it is so very worth it! The beautiful prop is like a pop of glitter, a little bling, sparkle, also known as the sun!
Location: Logan, Utah.