Play with the Sunlight
Backlight Photography Techniques
Photography beginners are always advised to shoot with front lighting (with light illuminating the subject from behind the camera) in order to avoid strong lighting contrast. But as we all know, there is no absolute right or wrong when it comes to photography, so sometimes going out of the box is important and will give your photos a surprisingly pleasant effect - like shooting into the light with these skills and tips in mind.
Choose the Right Time to Shoot
One downside of backlight photography is that the photo shows high lighting contrast and hard shadow. Therefore, we should shoot at early morning before 10am or in the late afternoon from 4pm till dusk, when the sunlight is softer and the effect of lighting contrast is minimal. Also benefited from the low incidence angle of sunlight, we can include the sun in the composition easily.
Create Starburst Effect
Use of a small aperture like f/11 or smaller can create apparent starburst effect. But bear in mind that the light shouldn’t take up a large proportion of the composition. Besides, by decreasing the exposure compensation by 1-2 stops, you can achieve better result.
Shoot in Black-and-White
Shooting black-and-white with back lighting can exaggerate the contrast of light and shade, and make high lighting contrast no longer a problem. To capture shafts of light in the photo, we not only need sunlight streaming through gaps of clouds or branches, but also an environment with impurities in the air like raindrops, fog or flying sands and dusts.
Capture Lens Flare
The Japanese style of photography is getting popular in recent years. It is characterized by the use of soft back lighting and beautiful lens flare. Originally, lens flare is the unwanted light artifacts resulted from light entering the lens and going through internal reflection in the lens system. However, it can add a touch of style to your photo if properly used.
Theoretically, flare forms when light enters the lens directly, but it’s difficult to control the exposure if the light source is placed at the center of the frame. Therefore, we suggest to have the light source positioned on the periphery, so that the intensity of light is weaker, and there are chances to create flare in special shapes or colors due to diffraction of light entering the lens from the periphery. As advanced anti-flare technology is incorporated in the recently launched EF lenses, we may need to try more extreme angles for more apparent flare effect.
Theoretically, flare forms when light enters the lens directly, but it’s difficult to control the exposure if the light source is placed at the center of the frame. Therefore, we suggest to have the light source positioned on the periphery, so that the intensity of light is weaker, and there are chances to create flare in special shapes or colors due to diffraction of light entering the lens from the periphery. As advanced anti-flare technology is incorporated in the recently launched EF lenses, we may need to try more extreme angles for more apparent flare effect.
Since the physical effect between the light and the lens depends on various environmental factors, the above skills and tips are only for your reference. Experiment more to find out the tricks that work best for you.
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