This month we continue our discussion of special lighting situations with the case of "backlighting." Backlighting occurs when the light source illuminates the "back" or opposite side of the subject to the photographer. In this case we find ourselves aiming towards the light source and the side of the subject we see, is in shadow.

When you are faced with a backlit situation, there are three basic ways to expose the photograph. Depending upon which method you decide upon, your subject can have detail or it will be "black" as in a silhouette.

The first method we will discuss is the silhouette. In this type of photograph, the background is exposed correctly, but the subject is underexposed. The result is that the subject is dark and we can appreciate the form and shape of the subject better. An example of this type of photo is the Black Skimmer. The setting sun lights the background, but detail in the bird is lost due to underexposure. Another example of this type of photograph is the Barn Swallows.

The second involves exposing the subject correctly and having an overexposed background. There are several methods on how to do this, but it is beyond the scope of this article and will be dealt with in a future article. This usually is not a very pleasing photograph due to the overexposed background, but it may be useful for identification purposes.

The third scenario involves a correctly exposed background AND subject by using electronic flash. See the photograph of the Green Heron in Tips#16. In tips#16 we discussed using flash in situations such as this.

The remainder of this article will concentrate upon the first scenario, which involved silhouettes. As long as your subject is not too large in the frame, you can simply shoot as metered and the camera will be "fooled" into underexposing your subject. The camera exposes for the bright background, and will underexpose your subject, hence giving the desired silhouette. The classic case involves shooting towards the Setting Sun. You must however, be careful if you meter with the sun in the frame, as it will cause severe underexposure of the photograph. (Although it will overexpose your eyes quite nicely!) To meter correctly, recompose your view to the sky adjacent to the sun. Lock exposure (via exposure lock button or by shooting in manual mode), recompose, and shoot. As mentioned in Tips#14 on white birds, your camera will be tricked into underexposing when metering a light tone such as a white bird or a bright sky. Therefore, your shots will tend to toward underexposure. It is always a good idea to bracket your exposures by plus and minus one or more stops in tricky lighting situations.

In conclusion, most of the photographs we see make use of front lighting and most of our efforts are put into achieving a front-lit situation. Often times we can obtain a more dramatic photo by taken advantage of alternative lighting situations. This could include sidelighting as in tips#11 or backlighting as discussed above. Next month, pull up a chair as we discuss perspectives from a Bird's eye view.

Photograph Caption Information:

Barn Swallow Silhouettes:
Keep the "K.I.S.S." principle in mind when taking silhouettes. "Keep It Simple Stupid" by framing your picture to minimize distracting backgrounds. For example this photo would be less interesting if there was a maze of branches silhouetted as well.
Point Pelee Marsh Boardwalk, Nikon F5, 500mmF4, 1.4x TC

Black Skimmer shot into the setting sun:
The exposure was as metered by the camera. The bright highlights tricked the camera into underexposing resulting in this flying silhouette.
Ding Darling NWR, Florida, Nikon F90X, 300mmF4

Setting Sun and Great Blue Heron: Another fun day of shooting ends!
The subject does not necessarily need to be large in the frame to tell a story. Don't give up for the day until the mosquitos drive you out of the park!
Ding Darling NWR, Florida, Nikon F4s, 500mmF4