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Learn to Use It!
“Look where the sun is coming from – then position yourself with your back towards it so that it light up your subject’s face.”
This was the very first piece of photographic advice that I was ever given as a child entrusted with the family’s camera for a school excursion.
The intention behind it was good and in many photographic situations over the years it has actually served me well.
However…. sometimes in photography it can be easy to get trapped in a mindset that actually limits the potential of your shots.
My suspicion is that many people are being limited by the above piece of advice – lighting your subject from the front and avoiding back lighting at all costs.
The problem with ignoring back lighting images is that:
- backlight can add drama to an image
- backlit images can show the delicacy of a subject (think transparent or translucent things like flowers or insects)
- backlight can help create real mood in a shot
- backlit images can highlight details on the edges of subjects
- backlight can reveal textures that might previously have been hidden
- backlit images can show off the shape and form of a subject
- backlight can create shadows that add points of interest to an image
I’m not arguing that backlit subjects are the way you should approach every shot – but ignoring it as an option ca leave you potentially missing out on a very powerful technique.
Check out some of the following images that show the beauty of power of ignoring the age old advice of always lighting a subject from the front.
PS: just because your subject is backlit doesn’t mean you need to forget about how they are lit from the front. Using a Fill Flash and/or some sort of reflector is often a great way to get the balance right for a well exposed shot.
Thank you for the information, beautiful examples and invitation to share in the fun. Inspired to experiment and explore more.
My example is a wheat field:
flickr.com/photos/artpraxis/9990135915
Great advice and beautiful. Using this kind of light you'll get unique photos!
Some of my pics:
https://marius-fotografie.blogspot.com
Nice different perspectives!
Have always liked back lighting for leaves and transparent things. Like these.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67900028@N08/9781789813/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67900028@N08/9781721306/
and for silhouettes like this one
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67900028@N08/6962913923/
Good reminder to look for creative backlit shots. I like the horse photo in the post. If the sun has already gone done and you want to practice backlighting, I show an example of photographing a baby ear shell with a speedlight taped to a wire:
http://jasoncollinphotography.com/blog/2012/4/19/babys-ear-shell-macro-strobist-photographs.html
The shell is soft enough for the light to pass through it making it look translucent.
I used artificial light to have this effect.Is it any good ?
http://500px.com/photo/41667226
Sometimes shooting against the sun will give you delightfully surprising results. Especially on portraits. http://www.flickr.com/photos/endiwirawan/8665877859/
Great article! There's another typo, though.
"...ignoring it as an option ca leave you potentially missing out on a very powerful technique."
Just wanted to let you know! :)
Some lovely skies in the posters shots. I think it brings a dramatic edge to portrait shots, especially lighting up the hair. I dragged both a garden bench and my two daughters out in to some low sunlight for this shot trying to get a boho look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jk3941/6199265856/
Awesome examples and well stated. Now I know what to do to mix things up again back to basics
I have only really started playing with my DLSR in the last few months, but heres my effort at backlit, i love the way the highlights are on the monkeys arms and faces.
http://www.joomlaholics.com/fotos/DSC_0269.JPG
I used to follow that advice from my Dad when I was younger and shooting film!
Since coming and picking up a DSLR a couple years ago, I tend to take the attitude that anything goes as it doesn't cost a penny if you mess up a bit, delete and have another go. Yes, you need to think about things like flare and wider dynamic ranges than the camera will cover, but at the end of the day you may miss something a little different because you were too busy sticking to rules as though they were laws. Just try something daft and see what happens, you'll learn if it works or fails and know for next time!
To paraphrase, "Better to have shoot and failed, than to have never attempted the shot at all!", LOL!
I really enjoy all the articles and tutorials on your site. Every days a school day and every day Im learning.
One of my back lit photographs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindamolloy/4934466985/
Thanks for the great article. Here is one of my favorite back-lit photos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edletts/5986808258/in/photostream/lightbox/
I like back-lit images esp portraits that I see alot in wedding photography.
There's no rule to say one can't over-expose background while keeping your portraits of people well exposed isn't?
Interesting read!!! A brief mention of using metering modes to effect would have been apt.
Wow,, As a noob, i wish to get diagrams on how to shoot backlit object. (the sample diagram could be found in the article in my signature). Then it will make things easier ..
Another cracking post. Must admit that in the last few weeks I to have rediscovered backlighting. Loving the results.
This is something I've been practicing a little lately, with mixed results, as a flickr friend said to me "flowers and the sun go together like coffee and cream". Heres one of the best I've done.
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/markfinley36/6135089174/
Thanks for the interesting post. I like back-lit subjects and often use fill-flash when I want some light on the subject. Didn't really have a big enough flash to fill these cranes though... ;-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mully410/6232736839/in/photostream/lightbox/
Straight out of camera...no post processing other than converting the original NEF file to JPG.
I think the last picture by serni is amazing!
I was actually looking for a tutorial on white backdrops but I am glad I came across this post.
Hey Darren, I really enjoyed this topic. My brother whom also is a photographer uses this technique a lot. He is as they say, that dude when it comes to lighting. He just has an eye for lighting. Being new to digital photography, I am learning to control light through my digital camera (Nikon D-80). I enjoy most of your topics and pray for your continued success.
Backlit adds drama and expression to the photograph. However, it is prone to overexposure.
I shoot much of my work backlit, it adds another dimension to the shot, many people don't realize that portraiture and fashion in the studio is quite often only lit from behind.
The whole "Positions yourself with the back towards the sun" thing comes from film photography days which was great advice for amateur photographers. With Digital you can keep playing around until you get the shot or effect your after so this rule doesn't really apply.
Backlighting with the sun can certainly create some nice shots but unless your after silouhettes it can be very hard to get right with such a powerful light source.
Depending on the shot your after you need to have a flash powerful enough to counteract the sunlight and effectively light up the front of your subject and in most cases an oncamera flash just won't do the trick.
Backlighting can be more effective indoors with controlled light sources such as large or small lamps and is quite often used when photogrpahing people.
If you have a dark background and your photographing a person with dark hair, you can use a backlight to light up their hair which will seperate their dark hair from the background and make them stand out better.
Love the photos. I need to try more of these and get out of the studio more.
Bravo
Seraphimc made excellent photo. Bravo.
Super post. One of my favorites.
Nice !
PS: I also started with a camera in a school excursion. This was also my first tip!
The only difference is that the Olympus camera was mine. Given as a gift at that exact time.
This is great, lovely advice for an amateur, thanks
Great advice. I actually used this technique in my first few shots using my first DSLR. Quite fun to play around with.
GREAT post! Photography is something I always wanted to get into, but I am more in to using photos already taken and making them look better with photoshop!
Jesse W.
http://www.subprimeblogger.com
Good post! And I like those examples, they really show the enormous possibilities of backlightning.
I like especially the horse picture, since the light is like a halo around the horse's head... plus the way it is turning its head... and wagging its tail.
Really, I should write about this subject (backlit horses?) on my blog...
Here is the link that should have been included in the previous comment:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettdickson/2261939451/
The backlit effect works really well with flowers. And for extra effect you can gel the fill light to a different colour.
See this for example:
We can make beautifull pictures againt the sun. Here is a simple statue:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colliculus/2593052421/
When shooting food I usually start with a backlight. Either sun, light box or umbrella on location.
Rosh
http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
http://food.roshsillars.com
Good advice and great shots. When i look at a possible subject, the first thing i ask myself is, "where do i want the light" and imagining what the image could look like and back lighting is certainly thought of where possible.
cheers..R
Isn't this dangerous? Won't this burn the camera sensor? (I just bought my first digital camera, a Canon 400D.)
Thanks.
these are brilliantly backlit
it's a technique I'd like to do more of
thanx for the inspiration
SeraphimC's shot is great! Next time I'm working with a human I'll have to see if I can do something like that. Silhouettes aren't unheard of, but the hair and positioning in that I really like.
Some more useful tips:
1. Put the sun (or light source) behind an object (as in all examples above).
2. If the sun (or light source) is just out of the frame, beware of lens flare - use a lens hood.
3. Experiment with exposure (bracket judiciously).
4. If using film, note that the sun can burn a hole in the film - stop down to compose and do so quickly.
5. Looking at the sun, even through a viewfinder, can damage your eyesight - proceed with caution.
Here are some of my own favourites:
Mt. Fuji sunset with rainbow effect
Torii at Miyajima
Beautiful images :-) tx for the inspiration
Always nice to recieve a little push in the direction of something I don't try all that often. Will go out tomorrow and see what I can find to practice this tip on. (if there is any sun / light in England!)
Lovely set of pics above... thanks
I really love the way those shots came out.
My favorite is the one of the girl. Enough light on her to tell which direction she's looking, but not enough for any detail. And the glow around her is really cool.
I have always liked silhouette photos that can be made with the back light. There is something mystical in it. You try to see details in a shadow and your mind plays tricks with you. It can add some abstract figures and straighten the mood. Wonderful shots.
great examples and great tips, back lighting is something amateurs are very afraid of, and thus never really try to master it
These are pretty hard snaps to get absolutely right. Some great example images.
Nice piece of advise...
Need to get it in practice .
Very nice images above.
great advice and beautiful shots. One of my favorite pics I've ever done was created through a strong backlight.
I think though, that there's a typo. If I'm not mistaken (and if I am, just call me crazy and ignore me), you meant to say "mood" instead of "mode"
Nice!
I love taking pictures agianst the sun...like this one:
http://flickr.com/photos/svenmoniek/475672489/in/set-72157600193741348/
Sven