Backlight

Backlight is any light source that comes from behind the subject in a photograph. Backlighting generally describes a wide range of lighting.

Backlight can come from the sun on a bright day, or a studio flash or strobe.  Usually the goal of backlighting is to separate the subject from a background.  In a silhouette photo, for example, a backlight may be the ONLY source of light.

Since this blog has covered silhouette before, I decided to use a studio photo, taken recently, and a quick snapshot of our cat, Gus, taken on Thursday while he was enjoying a perfect late day sun sit down on our patio.  Backlighting doesn't necessarily mean that the front of the subject needs to be dark.  But you will more than likely be dealing with more shadows than normal.

The sun is directly behind Gus in this photo and it was darker when I downloaded it.  I used some fill flash to bring up the shadows.  You can see the rim light on his head and ears.  There is spill over to the left side of his face, but it is only because of him turning his head at the last minute to look inward.  Cat ears tend to glow in backlight, and luckily, because of Gus' ear color, the sun shines right through.  Many times the ears can be really shadowed when using backlight only.

In this studio photo, showcasing the connection between a lovely GSP and her owner, the backdrop is lit by a backlight to separate the subjects from the backdrop.  A main light helps to illuminate the front of the subjects, as they would otherwise be in shadow.

Photography, after all, is all about how we use the light, and backlighting is just one tool in a very diverse toolbox.

To see how others interpreted the theme this week, the blog circle is waiting.  Start with Shae Pepper of Shae Pepper Photography, Then enjoy your Friday and the rest of the weekend!