Photography Tip: Use a Lens Hood

I am the biggest offender of this next tip. I still don't own a lens hood (I never thought I'd use the kit lens that came with my camera so much). Then again, I never got around to buying the actual lenses I wanted either. But I do know lens hoods (shades) are good for the following reasons:

1. They prevent lens flares in your picture (see above).
2. They protect your lens from accidental bumps/scratches.

They're fairly inexpensive (compared to your camera and lens). Make sure to buy the hood that is specifically designed for your lens; otherwise, you'll get unwanted vignetting.

The way I get around not using a lens hood is I either move to change angles or I use my hand and hold it just above the lens (keep it out of view or crop out your hand later). Unfortunately, the latter means I'm shooting and holding the camera with only one hand. So, I'm limited to circumstances that give me high shutter speeds. But it works sometimes (see below).