How to take good-looking backlight photos?

Backlight can create amazing effects in photography and raise your photography to a new level. But backlight photography seems to violate our theory of photographic knowledge. After all, when you shoot the subject backlight, the main light source comes from the back, not the front, so the lighting effect may not be ideal. Here's how to create a beautiful backlit photo.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8g | 50mm |1/250s | f/4 | ISO1100)

First, the backlight in the portrait.

This picture is a fairly standard portrait photo.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200f/2.8g edvrii |122mm |1/350s | f/4 | ISO.

800)

When the subject is illuminated from the front, the image is exposed evenly without dazzling shadows. This is a great photo.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200f/2.8g edvrii |180mm |1/3000s | f/2.8 | ISO.

400)

The parents-to-be are shrouded in shadows, the pregnant woman's hair glows golden, the man's head has a glowing outline, and the whole scene is somewhat mysterious, all of which lies in the creative use of lighting.

When you illuminate an object from the back, you can get an image with glowing hair, shining outline and beautiful background. This type of photography needs practice, but after some trial and error, you can get similar results by using backlight.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200f/2.8g edvrii | 200mm |1/250s | f/2.8 | ISO.

100)

In this portrait, the sun shines in from the front, and the man's face is evenly illuminated. The background is colored and easy to see. Now compare this picture with its backlight.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200f/2.8g edvrii | 200mm |1180 | f/2.8 | ISO.

320)

The hair of the portrait suddenly protrudes, and the human ear even glows slightly. The right side of the background is lush green, while the left side where the sun is located is almost completely blocked. Even men's shoulders are outlined in gold. Photos have light effects that headlights can't match. This portrait will stand out from the crowd.

Second, natural backlight.

To illustrate the application of backlight in nature photography, please take a look at this backlight landscape photo.

(Nikon D7 100 | Nikon 35mm f/1.8g | 35mm |1/3000s | f/4 | iso200)

Once you start to pay attention to light, you will find that there are similar light effects around you. One of the best ways to learn backlight is to go into nature and experiment by placing objects between the camera and the sun. Sunrise and sunset are a good opportunity to experience backlight photography, and you can also understand the situation of objects at a certain distance, which also helps to roughly understand the position of the sun at dawn and dusk.

Backlight metering can be tricky, so it is best to use aperture priority to control the depth of field, and then adjust the exposure compensation to keep the photo bright or dark as needed.

(Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200f/2.8g edvrii | 200mm |1/4000s | f/22 | ISO.

100)

You can find objects to practice in nature, such as interesting leaves.

(Nikon D7 100 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8g | 50mm |11500th | f/2.8 | ISO100)

When shooting outdoors, the sun is the main light source, but it is not necessary to use direct sunlight. In the picture above, the leaves shine, and the sun is not in the picture, but it still illuminates the leaves from behind.

The photographer used a similar lens, and you can see how he used highlights. Large blades of grass look almost translucent.

(Nikon D7 100 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8g | 50mm |1/500 | f/4.8 | ISO100)

Most people will encounter such a shooting scene without thinking, but how to show the lighting and give new life to even ordinary objects?

Third, silhouette lighting.

An interesting way to use backlight is to completely darken the subject. This technology is called silhouette lighting, and it can be an interesting and creative way to show people, animals and other objects. You can create a silhouette image by shooting directly under a light source that completely darkens the object. The result is that photos show shapes or outlines, rather than well-exposed objects.

In order to get this effect, the photographer pointed the camera at his main light source and waited for someone to pass by, because the fountain itself did not shine, but reflected sunlight, completely covering the object.

(Nikon D7 100 | Nikon 85mm f/1.8g | 85mm |11000s | f/4 | ISO 200)

The photographer captured a young woman in a hurry in the early morning with a method similar to backlighting.

(Nikon D200 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8g | 50mm |1/6000s | f/4 | ISO 200)

The photographer knows where the sun is, so he waits patiently until a person enters the picture. By placing the subject directly between the camera and the main light source, the photographer can capture the silhouette, and the final result is much more interesting than the image taken by normal exposure in broad daylight.

You can use silhouette lighting on various themes; Just a little creativity and a way to try new things. For this kind of photos, it is most suitable for the camera manual mode, which allows you to better control the final image.