backlit – Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

This week Ann-Christine challenges us to explore backlit photography.

What is backlit photography?

Backlight is light that hits the subject from behind, typically higher than the subject it is exposing.

Backlighting can be a very effective tool if used skillfully. If backlighting is employed well, it can bring a greater sense of depth and an emotional aesthetic to photographs.

Backlighting a photograph is not the simplest method of lighting in photography, nor is it right for every photograph. The first step to mastering backlight photography is understanding the effects that backlighting has on an image. The primary effects of backlighting include:

I use this technique on nature macro photos most often and of course on sunsets and rises, and I noticed night photos are also mostly done this way.

But when I was looking for samples I came to realise that I use sidelight more frequently. They are also often backlit, but, so that light is slightly is more on the side, so I don’t know if it is technically backlit. This happens mostly in portraits. Is this like splitting hairs? Not important?

Good use of natural light. If you’re shooting outside with a small amount of natural light, backlighting can be a good way to take advantage of your lighting situation to produce a striking and evocative image.

Street photography and architecture looks more interesting in backlite.

Depth. Backlight photography emphasizes the depth behind the subject and gives images a greater sense of place.

Dramatic effect. Backlighting can produce a dramatic contrast between the subject and the background. This can be an especially effective technique when shooting outdoor portraits.