Backlight and Calendering Photography Technology and Its Application

Lead: Backlighting is not a new topic, but a basic subject of photography. Most authors have written or mentioned this photography method and application. I like backlight shooting very much, so I also want to share it with you.

Pure front light will make the image look stereoscopic. Sometimes, we prefer light with a smaller angle, such as side light or backlight. Side lighting or backlight shooting can highlight the three-dimensional sense of the subject. However, due to the angle of light, there will be a big contrast between the two kinds of light when shooting, which increases the difficulty of shooting. When you take a portrait, there will be shadows on the subject. We usually use flashlights or reflectors to form the shadows of portraits.

Backlight Portrait Shooting/Nikon D3XF/221/800ISO100 @ sb900x3 @ High-speed Synchronization

Frontal portrait shooting/Nikon D800F/2.21/5000ISO100

That's easy to say. How to deal with backlight?

In fact, there are many ways to use backlight, one of which is that the subject is in the backlight position when shooting, and the light on the subject (large backlight) is mainly measured. This kind of expression is not only natural but also dreamy. At this point, if the lens is aimed directly at the sun, enlarge the aperture as much as possible. The larger the aperture, the higher the degree of light diffusion, the stronger the dreaminess and the more beautiful the facula effect. In this way, if you want to reduce the shadow of the backlight position, you can use the reflector to fill the light. However, the big backlight will only show a dead white sky, losing the details of the background.

Backlight photography-I remember that three years ago, when students with flashlights went to shoot on location, they saw a beautiful dusk in the background and shouted, and everyone watched it together, retaining that happy and moving moment.

Backlight processing method for flash lamp fill light

What is calendering? In fact, calendering is only a fill light, but it seems that the background light is submerged by the fill light of the flash when representing the image, so most people call it "calendering". In fact, the method of calendering and filling light is the same, but the increased flash output is as bright as the background light. This shooting method is common in business, and it can show fashion and delicate light and shadow levels. In addition to highlighting the theme, background details (such as clouds in the sky) (background details lost in large backlight shooting) can also be presented.

Nikon d800f/141/250siso100

Calendering effect shooting method

When shooting, we must first measure the light in the background sky. If the exposure of the sky background is f/ 1 1, 1/200 seconds and ISO 100, after measuring the background sky, set the camera to M mode, and set the aperture, shutter and ISO value to F/ 1658.

Flash synchronization 1/250 seconds shutter time is used, mainly because cameras and most flashlights can only support flash synchronization (x-sync) of 1/250 seconds. As long as the shutter speed of the camera exceeds the upper limit of 1/250 seconds, it can't be synchronized with the flash, and the captured image can't fully receive the light of the flash. However, some high-order flashlights can support high-speed synchronization, but although there is no problem that the shutter speed limits the synchronization of flashlights, the higher the shutter speed, the weaker the GN value of flashlights will be. Although the highest synchronization speed of shutter and flash is 1/250 seconds, not all cameras and flash+flash can run at the highest synchronization speed (usually related to the quality of flash), so for safety reasons, 1/200 seconds or1/60 seconds are usually used as safety lines.

When the aperture, shutter and ISO value are all set, the exposure of the portrait can be increased to the same as the background sky by filling the light with the flash. And the white balance is adjusted to "sunlight".

I had an expensive "lamp boy" on the day of shooting.

In the above method, if the output rate of the flash is increased by one level, and the aperture (f/ 16) for measuring the background light is decreased by one level, so that the background is darkened (also darkened by one level), the flash will be brighter than the background, which is called "calendering".

This kind of calendering uses a fine aperture (f/ 16), which has a deep depth of field and the subject is as clear as the background. If you want the effect of shallow depth of field (clear front and blurred back), you need to use a larger aperture (such as f/2.8). When using large aperture and high shutter, the flash must be synchronized for more than 1/250 seconds. When the flash exceeds 1/250 seconds, it is called high-speed synchronization (HSS).

When you use high-speed flash to synchronize, you need to connect the media between the camera and the flash. Ordinary flashers of several hundred Hong Kong dollars can only give us shutter synchronization speed below 1/250 seconds. We can choose advanced flasher or my favorite and most affordable flasher cable. Flash line can support TTL and high-speed flash synchronization, which is very convenient, accurate and reasonable in price. Its only drawback is that it can only use one lamp. If multiple flashlights are used, you can use.

Nikon D4 f/2.81/8000siso100 @ high-speed synchronization.