Outdoor shooting:Atmospheric photos against the light

Backlight describes a lighting situation in which the main light source is positioned behind the subject. The through that backlight The easiest way to get the effect you achieve is through this natural light of the sun .

Especially that one sunrise and the golden hour to sunset are among the most popular times of day to take atmospheric portraits. With the sun as a light source, a special harmony created that makes your images look brighter and warmer. For many photographers, however, photographing with backlight is a major challenge, as it can quickly happen that the pictures taken are blurred, dark or heavily overexposed in the background. IIn the following part we will explain to you which settings and tools you can still use to take successful portraits in backlight and carry out successful shootings.

The right time of day is crucial

Not every time of day is suitable for a backlit shoot. Therefore, in addition to the weather conditions, the rising and setting of the sun should be planned for. However, these times can vary greatly depending on the season. As a rule of thumb, the Quarter hour after sunrise or the last quarter of an hour before sunset the best time is to capture the warm mood in your photos.The backlighting when shooting a model poses a particular challenge, since the foreground is hardly exposed to the sun rising or setting in the background.

Helpful camera settings

The first step to taking a good backlit photo is to use the manual mode (M mode) at your camera. The camera settings have to be adjusted manually in order to react to the respective light situation. Since there is enough incident light when photographing with backlight, an ISO setting is suitable low sensitivity of ISO 100 or ISO 200.Which aperture is set should be tested on site. Depending on how the backlight is to be captured in the later image, either a larger or smaller aperture is more suitable.

Who the effect of the so-called aperture stars wants to produce, however, has to resort to a closed aperture. Because these appear when the photograph is not taken directly against the glaring sun, but there is a foreground that Light source slightly hidden . The aperture stars are created when the sun shines just slightly past the foreground. This effect works particularly well with the leaves of a tree, for example.

Brighten up your motif with the right equipment

Because a very bright light source is shining on your subject from behind, it can appear very shadowy in some areas. In order to brighten up the affected areas with the available light, it is advisable to use onereflector at. Depending on the angle and position, this can be rotated until enough light is reflected in the desired area and you Properly lit subject is. Ours are particularly suitable for this Jinbeifolding reflectors that are ideal for transport. Also the double-sided coating of the reflectors provides creative scope, since a different effect can be achieved depending on the colour.

Another way of brightening up the desired motif with an additional light source is, for example, a lightning orLED permanent light . To make these additional light sources appear natural, we recommend using these– above all in portraits– not to be placed frontally in front of the subject (or on the camera), but rather to the side. With an additional fill flash or accent light, you can target specific areas of your illuminate the subject that the main light cannot reach. Or simply about what is already there to complement natural light and create your desired lighting mood. This gives you even more freedom during your shoot to achieve outstanding shots of your subject.

We hope you enjoy trying it out and look forward to your results! Feel free to tag us Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag #jinbeiphotobox .