How To Shoot Backlit Pictures

<p>Here're two of my shots of a reception that is backlit with a white wall.</p>

<p><a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/backlight.jpg/">http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/backlight.jpg/</a><br>

<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/backlightt2.jpg/">http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/backlightt2.jpg/</a></p>

<p>The problems I have is the wrap around light as the background is so bright. I tried flashing it and I've tried natural light it but I'm not too happy with either result. I ended up converting a few of them to B&W. How would you handle situations like this with just an on camera flash? Thanks.</p>

<p>Wider shots worked for me, like this one:<br>

<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/backlightt3.jpg/">http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/backlightt3.jpg/</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Well you have to determine which exposure you are going to let be "in charge" - the ambient/background light from the window, or your room light (supplemented with fill or bounce flash). The best way to get both (and you came close) is to expose for the ambient (like you would outdoors, maybe underexpose a stop or two) and then fill in the foreground with flash. Using manual control is the easiest way to get what you want. Or you could just meter close to the wedding participants ignoring the background, which would then probably be underexposed. If your camera is in "M" mode, your flash in ETTL/ETL should balance it out with a little adjusting.</p>

<p>To me, it looks like you balanced the indoor and outdoor exposures reasonably well.</p>

<p>However, to be honest, in the pix you posted, I had a hard time telling "wrap-around light" and small angle scattering / flare from the artifacts that resulted from use of a much too low JPEG compression quality setting and from over-sharpening. I think that if you would correct those two aspects of the photos, you would be much happier with the pix.</p>

<p>If you would like, post the RAW file, or, if necessary, the in-camera, full-rez JPG so that we can get a better look at it / try our hand at producing a better down-rez'ed final image.</p>

<p>HTH,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>My experience is that whenever I have a bright source of light in or very near the frame, the photo loses contrast and the shadows become muddy. Bright windows are very good at causing the effect. Removing a protective filter from the lens can help, although I've experienced these with bare lenses as well. The only technical remedy I know of is to have enough flash power to more or less balance the outdoor light - it doesn't have to be perfect balance, the veiling and halos diminish greatly when you get within a few stops. Other than that, I'd follow your "change the point of view" approach - do not shoot against the window, shoot so that the window is to the side, outside of the frame, oriented sideways so the amount of light from it reaching your lens is low.</p>

<p>Thanks for your response. Tom, I couldn't upload RAW to imageshack and I don't save SOOC JPG. I could upload a bigger JPG but it will have my edit in it.</p>

<p>One thing I notice is that backlighting doesn't cause so much a problem for darker skin tone subjects as it does for fairer skin tone subjects.<br>

<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/440/backlight4.jpg/">http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/440/backlight4.jpg/</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Only way to really balance a scene like that is with serious flash power (preferably monolights) off camera. As you have noticed on camera flash is rather flat and one dimensional.</p>

<p>Basically you need to light the entire room and have the windows act as kicker lights.</p>

<p>If you don't want the hassle then there is not much to do about it except blowing out the background and shooting around it.</p>

<p>There are other options but not realistic ones for a wedding. You could for instance reflect raw sunlight that comes into the window up into the ceiling near the table. But that would require large acrylic mirrors. ND filters on the windows is another option. If it were a movie set you could do things like that but it's not practical for a wedding.</p>

<p>Your photos are OK - I would suggest to use flash at manual mode at the highest (shortest) shutter speed set manually, f = 4.0 - 5.6, shoot raw. Before developing the shots you can adjust almost everything including the contrast. Yes, cheap UV filters must be removed. </p>

<p>In general, when you do a backlit photo you want to see the effect of the backlight but not the light source itself.</p>

<p>The reason is that it will be too bright to end up with a nice shot as is shown by the two examples you gave.</p>

<p>= tommy</p>

<p>I just signed in tonight and caught this thread. I, too, have a difficult time with backlit images sometimes. With a similar situation, I managed to capture this image that was a favorite of the bride's, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=495884930426770&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348969896&type=1&theater">http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=495884930426770&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348969896&type=1&theater</a><br>

Yet, at other times, it works to my advantage for creating silhouettes, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=495884930426770&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348969896&type=1&theater#!/photo.php?fbid=495884600426803&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348970107&type=1&theater">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=495884930426770&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348969896&type=1&theater#!/photo.php?fbid=495884600426803&set=pb.128039777211289.-2207520000.1348970107&type=1&theater</a></p>

<p>Fill 'er up there sonny.</p>

<p>That is to say, fill with flash, or blow the backlight and get the subject as you would like.</p>

<p>Fill flash or ceiling bounce is my choice---but if it did not hapen at the time of exposure you can take a few moments in photoshop to get it right---if you know what you are looking for. Use the eyedropper and study the RGB numbers in the info palette in both images to learn the difference. I color adjusted, removed blue and magenta color cast, raised the levels, took a snapshot and return the window to the original tones and then set levels for the window only. I did not do it but some dodging on the ends would help compensate for the light fall-off. I hope this is helpful.</p><div></div>