Home >> Hobbies >> Photography

How to Take Backlit Photos

Backlit photographs are characterized by the subject being lit from the back. In outdoor photographs, this is created by situating the subject directly in front of the sun, while the subject is situated in front of a light source in a studio. Backlit photos are not overly popular since they shed more light on the background instead of the subject. The exposure will have to be changed beforehand to achieve the best photograph.

Things You'll Need

Digital single lens reflex camera
Tripod

Instructions

- 1
  Situate the subject so that the light source cannot be seen. Rotate the camera's setting to Manual, since taking a backlit photo will not work when shooting on Automatic. Setting the camera on Manual will trick the light sensor into sensing enough light for the picture. If the camera is still having trouble taking the picture, set the photo to Manual Focus as well.
- 2
  Take an initial photo with the pre-set exposure. If the camera's flash is triggered during this initial photo, set the automatic flash to Off. Using a flash for backlit photos will greatly lessen any dramatic effects backlighting will have on a photo. Flash can be used in lower lighting situations, but remember the effect it may have on the outcome of the photo.
- 3
  Adjust the exposure after the test shot in order to create enough dramatic lighting for the shot. The best backlit shots will have the subject silhouetted. For brighter surroundings, allow less light to enter the lens by choosing a fast shutter speed, such as 1/4000, or by setting a smaller aperture, such as f/32.
- 4
  Set the camera to a wide aperture, such as f/3.6, or by choosing a slow shutter speed, such as 1/250. A wider aperture and slower shutter speed will reveal the subject's body instead of leaving it dark, as a small aperture and fast shutter speed would do. For slower shutter speeds such as this, a tripod is necessary for capturing unblurred, sharp photographs.

Photography