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Underexposed Subjects
Underexposure is the most common issue in backlighting. The light meter in your camera is designed to read light across the entire frame. When the light meter reads the bright light behind your subject, it sets the exposure for that light, which results in an underexposed subject. To compensate, you can use your camera̵7;s built-in flash, attach an external flash or meter off of the subject.
Overexposed Background
If you do not have a built-in flash or external flash strong enough to add light to the subject and balance the exposure, you will need to meter off the subject to prevent it from being underexposed. When you do this, the background becomes over exposed -- and in some cases, completely blown out, where no information is recorded in a digital photo file so the area looks completely white.
Low Contrast
Another common issue with backlit subjects is that the picture will have a low contrast, which gives it a washed out look. Colors are flat and do not have the impact that they may have had in the actual scene. This effect is caused by the sensor underexposing the picture to compensate for the bright background.
Other Issues
Color cast is the appearance of a tinting or muted color in the picture. If you are shooting late in the day in a backlit situation, the low sun can cast a yellow or even reddish tint across the entire picture. Shooting at this time of day also increases the possibility that the sun may be shining into your lens, either directly or at an angle, which can cause lens flares -- areas or streaks of light that aren't part of the image being photographed -- to appear in your pictures.