A few months back, I posted a tip on creating a great shot no matter where you are, or what equipment you have, the safe shot. This tip takes a bit more skill and know-how. But with a little patience and practice, you will have a great deal of success. Not only can it help you in rough lighting conditions, it will become something you look for to create atmosphere and mood in your shots. It can add a great deal of warmth and emotion to your images!

A lot of times, especially as a wedding photographer, you’re stuck with the lighting conditions that are given to you, with no time to move people into better light. It can be very challenging and stressful to get the shots your clients expect when you’re faced with mid-day, harsh sunlight and no shade in sight. Backlighting your subject is a great way to get the shot, and avoid ugly shadows and overly contrasty images (side note: stop messing with the contrast in your images during post-production. It’s outdated–not that it was ever in–and makes skin tones look awful).

Here are my tips for getting great backlit images:

1. Place your subject with their back to the sun. The sun does not have to be directly behind them. Just watch their face and make sure you have nice even light on them. If the sun hitting their nose or cheek, move them a bit.
2. Unless you’re going for flare, make sure the sun is not hitting the front of your lens. This will disrupt the shot. Traditionally, flare is a no-no in photography. But, I don’t mind it, and sometimes employ it purposely. Again, practice will tell you when this will add or detract from the final image.
3. Expose for the subject! This is the most important piece of a great backlit shot. If you rely on your cameras sensor to tell you exposure, you’re gonna end up with a dark, muddy face. I can usually get very close to my exposure by spot-metering the darkest part of their face. From there, look at your histogram and adjust (another side note: if you’re not shooting manual, start. This will allow you to be in control of exposure, not your camera. I’ll address this in a future post).
4. If your camera has “blinkies” you can use these to give you an idea of correct exposure, too. Take a test image, and look for blinkies where the sun is hitting the back of your subjects’ head. Once that rim light on their head is blinking, you’re exposure will be very close to perfect!

As with any new skill, do not try this for the first time if you’re getting paid. Take your partner or kid out. Or, even a stuffed animal. Practice, practice, practice. When you’re confident in your ability, then you can utilize it on the job.

Here’s another shot of my little turkey–and a great example of backlighting. Right now, she’s sitting next to me watching scary kitty videos on YouTube. I do not like cats…especially scary kitties.

Hope this helps all of you. Please feel free to email me with questions!