Attached Link: How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?

though I would tend to agree that certain elements tend to be over-used, or not used like they should, This is a link to the first image I ever posted on renderosity... I thought it was a good image, but adding the lens flare, IMHO, made it fly. I have never been much into abstract, expressionism, cubism, etc. From the time I was small and learning how to hold a crayon, I tried to draw things like I see them. And now, though the tools have changed, I still feel the same way. If I look at a bright light, I'm going to see a flare, whether it's from the lens in my eye or a camera. Therefore, regarding both DOF and lens flares, again IMHO, if it is done properly and looks realistic then, by all means, do it. But if it's off, everyone knows it's off, and it can ruin an image rather than enhance it.