Photography Board Monthly Assignment - October 2010: Backlighting

[JoeDif]

I've been tagged as this months assignment assistant. I hope this lives up to the standards set by Linda (Pea-N-Me) during our previous months assignments.

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Has anyone ever told you not to shoot into the light? Or "always shoot with the light coming from behind the camera."

If you follow that advice, you are missing out on some wonderful image opportunities. Contrary to popular belief, the use of backlighting (where a light source is behind the main subject), is a technique that can produce wonderful images.

If you ignore backlighting you might miss some of these opportunities:

•backlight can add drama to an image
•backlit images can show the delicacy of a subject
•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

It is often recommended to use a lens hood when trying to enhance the effects of backlighting in photographs. A hood can significantly reduce the glare involved when pointing a camera directly into light. Zoom lenses are more likely to be flare susceptible that prime fixed focal length lenses.

Underexposure is also a common problem, as the brightly-lit background will overly influence the camera's meter. This will turn the subject very dark, almost silhouette like. Exposure compensation is the answer and it is best to give between one and two stops extra exposure from the 'normal' exposure suggested by the camera. Alternatively, take a spot meter reading from the shadow area and expose at the camera's reading this should require no compensation.

http://www.digitalcamerastyle.com/backlight-photography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlig...ghting_design)

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/...les/37823.aspx


So, for the next month, look for opportunities to take advantage of backlighting. Look for silhouettes. Look for long shadows and intriguing textures. Take advantage of backlighting to produce more interesting and dramatic images

 

[cpbjgc]

I stopped on my way to work to capture some backlit leaves. Two different compositions of the same subjects (Shot handheld and before my morning coffee with no IS - hoped for some motion blur on leaves in the breeze):

Canon EOS 50D Focal length:17 mm Exposure:1/13 at f/8 ISO 100

Canon EOS 50D Focal length:40 mm Exposure:1/10 at f/8 ISO 100

 

[MICKEY88]

I placed my model in front of a lamp in the park, to give her wings and hair a soft magical glow..

 

[Altair]

Sassafras leaf:

 

[dcg0317]

 

[TheGoofster]

One of my roses, with the sun shining down from behind (a little off to the side) of it:

 

[dcg0317]

 

[dcg0317]

 

[Twigs]

I love seeing the pictures on here. This is my first attempt.

 

[PrincessInOz]

My first attempts....

Fingers crossed - Hoping to have the opportunity to try out with people tonight!

 

[dcg0317]

I love seeing the pictures on here. This is my first attempt.

Very nice, like how the sun came out with the burst.
Try sometime in the morning or late afternoon shooting into the sun, but hide the sun behind a tree or some other object, and shoot. Also do the same but meter off the area of the sun and recompose the shot, you'll get some interesting shots.
Here's one from this past summer, it was foggy out but the sun was burning through.

This shot I metered just below the sun, locked exposure and then recomposed the shot.

This one I metered to the left of the sun, recomposed.

 

[dcg0317]

Very nice, I like the second one, would have looked better on a nice blue sky but it's not always possible. I love getting lone flower shots looking up into the sky. Now that it's spring in OZ you should get some good ones.

My first attempts....

Fingers crossed - Hoping to have the opportunity to try out with people tonight!

 

[TheGoofster]

Here's one I took with my P&S:

 

[dcg0317]

Very nice, like the different colors you got from the sun rays.

Here's one I took with my P&S:

 

[dcg0317]

From this morning, shot with Canon 17-40mm @ 17mm with polarizing filter, 1/30 sec, ISO 400, f/8.

 

[Twigs]

dcg0317;38533145]Very nice, like how the sun came out with the burst.
Try sometime in the morning or late afternoon shooting into the sun, but hide the sun behind a tree or some other object, and shoot. Also do the same but meter off the area of the sun and recompose the shot, you'll get some interesting shots.

Thanks for the advice, I will try that!

 

[Shyvioletisme]

 

[PrincessInOz]

Very nice, I like the second one, would have looked better on a nice blue sky but it's not always possible. I love getting lone flower shots looking up into the sky. Now that it's spring in OZ you should get some good ones.

Thanks. I hope to try a similar set up against blue sky at some stage.

Typical spring in Melbourne???
Today we had brilliant blue sky in the early morning, 25 C and perfect. The clouds rolled in within 5 minutes at 9 am and now we're expecting over 30 mm of rain to bucket down (tropical style) shortly. Off to batten down the hatches!

You have to be quick to get a shot in spring!

 

[PrincessInOz]

But here are some shots from the weekend....


I might need some pointers on how to meter off for cloud shots...

These are friends of mine; and the sun was almost directly behind them. I like the effect around her hair but it seems hazy to me.

Is there a particular technique or set up I need to do when taking pictures of people against a sunset?

I acknowledge that I am a rank novice at this and haven't done any research on the topic other than reading the links that Joe provided. But this second shot seems a lot sharper than the above (i.e., not much haziness) and I'm not sure if this the backlight effect of my lack of proper lens focussing.

Another friend of mine....and this was taken about 5 minutes earlier than the above shot.
Looking at the angle of the sunlight, should backlit shots with people be taken with the light at a cross angle?

 

[alan]

One of the largest parts of the hobby for me is stage photography; photographing local amateur theatre groups. Some directors are just fantastic with lighting, and their use of backlighting can be very powerful.

Here are a few of my favourite examples:

1. Edinburgh Music Theatre, Copacabana

Copa Act One_017-01 by atp, on Flickr

2. The same show (a little bit naughty!)

Copa Act One_009-01 by atp, on Flickr

3. The Secret Garden, by The Melodramatics, directed by Susie Dumbreck

200704_Melos_Secret_Garden_251 by atp, on Flickr

4. Jesus Christ Superstar by Limelight Productions, also directed by Susie Dumbreck

Hosana 1 by atp, on Flickr

regards,
/alan