Skills of outdoor backlight shooting children

Backlight shooting, as the name implies, means that the subject is facing away from the main light. In the natural environment, the main light is sunlight. The following is the skill that I share with you to shoot children on location with backlight. Welcome to read!

24-70, aperture 2.8, shutter 1/400 ISO 100 7: 00 p.m.

This paper first discusses the backlight of location shooting with you.

First, the shooting time

To have obvious backlight effect, you have to shoot it on a sunny day. Theoretically, I can shoot the backlight when there is sunshine one day. In fact, I also shoot backlights at noon and afternoon when the sun is strong.

24-70, aperture 2.8, shutter 1/500, noon 12:00 or so ISO 100.

24-70, aperture 2.8, shutter 1/800, ISO 200 noon 12: 40.

However, the most golden time to shoot backlight is in the evening, before the sun goes down 1-2 hours. At this time, the backlight photos taken are recognized as the most beautiful among all backlight types.

Because the light of the sunset is soft and golden, and the contrast between the characters and the background is small, it is easy to create a beautiful picture and make a touching emotional film.

35, 1.4 aperture 2.5 shutter 1/200 ISO 100 8: 00 p.m.

As far as the season is concerned, the light in winter is softer and brighter than that in summer, which is more suitable for shooting, basically suitable for all-day backlight shooting. As far as the specific shooting time is concerned, this prime time usually appears around 5: 30-7: 00 in summer and around 4: 00-5: 00 in winter (different latitudes will change in different months, for example, in Victoria where I am now, it is 6:00-8:00 in summer), so we need to pay more attention to our own place.

35, 1.4 aperture 2.8, shutter 1/200, ISO 100, 165438+ 10 at 3 pm.

2. Selection of equipment

To tell the truth, cameras are generally expensive and films look good. So if you use a small digital DC, or something like a micro-single, you don't have to look at this thing carefully.

First, you have to use a SLR, and second, you have to have a lens with a large aperture. Only in this way can the backlit film look good. That kind of color and picture quality can't be made in the later stage of a small digital micro-single film.

As long as it is a SLR, the entry level is also ok. As for the lens, everyone can use it, but the bull's head effect with large aperture is definitely better than the dog's head.

I've been talking about a big aperture. How big is the big aperture? Personally, I think it is not a big aperture until at least 2.8. When shooting against the light, I use an aperture of about 2.8 most of the time. Of course, I also use the 4 th light intensity at noon.

24-70, aperture 3.5 shutter1/500ISO10013: 50pm.

My own lens is 35/1.4,50/1.4,24-70/2.8. I feel that these shots are quite suitable for small basin friends, and the effect of backlighting is quite satisfactory.

If the budget is tight, it can be about 50/ 1.42 km, which is quite cost-effective.

3. Shooting settings.

M-block manual! I have to do this. Because the light is always changing before the sun goes down, and the light ratio of the backlight is relatively large (I don't know the "light ratio", please Baidu), so you should completely control the exposure in your own hands, and don't use A file or T file, which is unreliable!

White balance: raw format shooting, in fact, the setting problem of white balance is not very big, just set it to automatic.

Photometric determination:

Many people will say "spot metering for backlight", but in actual shooting, I find it easy to evaluate metering. When metering, you are measuring the face (if not taking a silhouette), and the background will be overexposed or not layered. Evaluation photometry will take into account the photometry of people and background, and take an average value, so that even if the film exposure is not ideal, there will be no situation that people are too dark or the background exposure is too large to be adjusted later.

Key points:

In the backlight, especially when the aperture is large, especially when the lens is not very good, it is often difficult to focus or focus slowly. Some photographers will advise you to "focus manually", and I will say "still need autofocus". Wheel speed, autofocus is definitely much faster, especially for shooting small basin friends. Manual focusing is nonsense (unless you shoot a sleeping friend). The convenience of the wheels, such a small viewing frame, to see if it is in focus, my eyes are exhausted.

So, you still have to focus automatically. As for the difficulty of focusing, I offer three small methods:

1, please use the hood.

2. When focusing, block the direct light above the lens with your hand. After focusing on the face, remove your hand and press the shutter (this will test your single earpiece).

3. Move the position a little (or squat or stand high), block the direct light with the photographer, and then re-compose after focusing.

4. How to shoot

1. Positive and negative light

This is not a regular classification, I just named it for the convenience of everyone.

Positive reflection means that the camera is facing the sun, and the sunlight enters the lens and is "eaten up", and most of them feel "foggy". I don't think it's completely undesirable, it depends on whether the overall atmosphere of the photo is harmonious.

For example, in the picture below, the sunlight enters the lens, and two-thirds of the whole picture has a "gray" feeling, which is more obvious before the later adjustment. However, because it is a half-length close-up, the background is vague, and there are enough details in the bright part, which doesn't look uncomfortable.

35, 1.4 aperture 2.8, shutter 1/250 ISO 100 7: 10 at night.

Sometimes because of the big contrast, the positive and negative light will make the person being photographed too dark, or if the exposure of the person is normal, the background will be overexposed. Such a light environment will make the sun slightly biased and become a side backlight.

2. Side backlight

In other words, don't face the sun, let the light enter the picture slightly obliquely. Or, although it is facing the sun, it does not let the sun directly enter the lens (sometimes it can be achieved by squatting or standing high).

For example, in the picture below, I crouched down and found the light entering the lens, so I stood up and took a picture. The lens will not be "eaten up", and my skin color will be much better, the color will be brighter and I will not "fog".

35, 1.4 aperture 2.8 shutter 1/200 ISO 100 7: 30 p.m.

As shown in the figure below, the shooting of side backlight should make the sun on the right or left rear of the subject, so as to avoid the light from directly entering the lens.

Fill light:

In fact, I don't fill the light when I shoot my little friend, because my little friend is always moving and running around, and playing the board will be very tired. I don't want to shoot with a flash. On the one hand, I think it will make my friends' eyes uncomfortable, on the other hand, I don't like to fill the light with a flash. It's unnatural

However, sometimes you can still use a reflector, such as shooting a baby with weak mobility, or a baby who just can sit and climb. Or a good, older child.

Sometimes, small mushrooms are very cooperative. Give her a good scene so that she can enjoy herself for a long time without running around. I will also put a reflector in a fixed position, and the effect is good.

For example, in the lower group, I put a reflector obliquely in front of the small mushroom.

In addition, you can also pay attention to the dark background when shooting against the light, which will make the characters you shoot appear beautiful silhouette light, and the hair will turn golden yellow and beautiful.

24-70 aperture 2.8 shutter 1/400 ISO 100 used a reflector at 6 pm.

To make a long story short: generally, the silver surface is used to reflect light, and the golden surface is only used when there is warm golden light. White translucent board has weak reflection effect and is sometimes used to block the direct light of characters. The reflector must not be put too low, and the effect of reflecting a bottom light will be ugly.

About glare:

Some photographers think glare is a failed photo and try their best to avoid it. In fact, I am much more tolerant of this. I think as long as glare doesn't appear in the position that affects the picture or blocks the subject, sometimes it can bring some jumps or create different emotional feelings.

For example, the following picture, although there is glare in the picture, does not affect the picture, on the contrary, it also brings a beautiful and dreamy feeling.

35, 1.4 aperture 3.4 shutter 1/200 ISO 100 6 pm

In fact, there is more to write in detail, but this article is long enough, and more importantly, we need to feel and accumulate experience in our own shooting practice. So it's over. I hope you can bring your favorite backlight film!