What's the best way to take backlit photos?

Looking at the scene from the perspective of backlight may make people feel difficult to control. There are indeed a few problems that need special attention, but once you master backlight shooting, you will have a powerful means to make your photos unique and make other photos taken along the light instantly eclipsed.

Not all situations and all subjects are suitable for backlighting, so you need to be cautious-this is true of any experimental creation. It is the key to the success of backlighting to learn to accurately understand the lighting conditions and correctly choose the subject suitable for backlighting. Theoretically, any form of light can be used as backlight, but the stronger the light, the better the backlight effect.

In addition, the angle of light is also very important. For example, the noon sun can be used as the backlight, but because the angle of the light source is very high, the effect produced at this time is closer to the top light, and the intensity of the backlight is relatively small.

When the sun approaches the horizon in the morning or evening, the objects on the ground are basically completely illuminated by the backlight, so the effect is more prominent and intense. In the same way, winter is more suitable for taking backlight photos than summer, because the position of the sun arc is very low in winter, and the effect of backlight is better.

There are many subjects suitable for backlighting: portraits, birds, animals, plants and so on. When you want to highlight the exquisiteness and texture of translucent objects, backlighting is a powerful means of expression. So furry, graceful animals are very suitable for backlighting, because it can emphasize the details of the main outline. Backlit objects will also form long shadows in the direction towards the camera, thus providing additional points of interest for the picture.

Side backlight shooting method 1. Main skills

1, right object:

A subject suitable for backlight performance. Such as plants or flowers-their leaves or petals are translucent; A furry animal, or a friend or model with charming long hair.

2. Careful composition:

Think carefully about the light and background. The low-angle sun is very suitable as a backlight. Try to take backlight photos in front of a clean dark background, which can highlight the subject more vividly and emphasize the dramatic lighting effect.

3. Use spot metering:

Select spot metering mode to directly meter the object. This metering method can ensure that your subject is exposed correctly. If your SLR camera does not provide spot metering mode, you can also use the following methods: shorten the distance or lengthen the focal length, let the subject occupy the whole field of vision, shoot in manual mode, and then re-compose.

Second, cutting-edge skills.

1. Thinking about light: Shooting in front of a dark background can emphasize the parts of your subject that are illuminated by the backlight and make them more vivid. At the same time, it can also reduce the bright area behind the main body and eliminate the interference of these areas.

2. Experimental exposure: Surround exposure is carried out to investigate the influence of different exposure parameters on the picture effect. Exposing the highlight area around the subject can produce dramatic effect, and only the outline of the subject can be seen. When post-processing RAW files, you can also achieve this effect by adjusting the "exposure" setting.

3. Reduce the contrast: When the sunlight is weak or the position in the sky is low, the contrast of the picture will be reduced, thus reducing the dead black shadows and dead white highlights.

Third, photography science.

1, soft backlight is effectively used to depict the delicate feathers and green leaves of rhododendron.

2. The dark background makes the cuckoo stand out, adding visual impact and drama to the picture.

3. Measure the gray fluff on the neck of the cuckoo, so that the exposure of the whole picture is very accurate.

4. A wide lens hood is used to reduce glare and ensure the clarity and sharpness of the picture.

Fourth, the backlight portrait

Whether in the studio or outdoors, backlit portraits can always present a unique style. When the figure and backlight are in the right position, the latter will form a beautiful silhouette light around the figure's head, making the hair look soft and shiny and making the figure jump out of the dark background.

Backlight portrait Backlight portrait used evaluation photometry in our first photo, and the camera's photometry system wanted to expose the background correctly, which led to the underexposure of the subject. In the second photo, the spot metering mode is used to measure the human face, so as to obtain a more suitable exposure. Although the background is overexposed, it is not important in this scene.