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Russell Burden is an accomplished outdoor, family, and wedding photographer
whose work appears regularly in Photographic magazine. Burden also leads instructional
photo tours throughout the US. You can see more of his work and learn about
his photo excursions by visiting www.russburdenphotography.com.
One way to make your pictures really stand out is to use dramatic lighting.
Rainbows, ominous clouds, lightning, and vivid sunsets all create dramatic conditions,
but the frequency with which they occur is low. Backlighting creates dramatic
results, yet it can be utilized more consistently, easily and with greater frequency.
Another advantage is it can be made artificially either in the field or studio.
TIP 1: Backlighting Indoors
Studio photographers use backlighting to separate subjects from a background.
Depending upon the size of the subject, it may be necessary to use more than
one backlight to create full separation. The key to indoor backlighting is to
not go overboard unless a special effect is intentional. If too much is added,
the effect begins to spill light over to other areas in the image, creating
hot spots and overexposure.
Portrait photographers incorporate backlighting using separation or hair lights.
As in product photography, they give the subject a glow. In portraiture, the
target area of the backlights is the hair. They’re sometimes used to place
a highlight on the top of the subject’s hair and other times to light
the entire head from behind. Both are effective. When I want the top of the
hair to glow, I place a flash in a small softbox, above and slightly behind
the subject’s head. When I want to fully rim light the hair, I simply
place a flash squarely behind the subject’s head.
Obtaining the right exposure for the separation lights is dependent upon a number
of variables; their power output, the subject-to-flash distance, whether they’re
used straight or in a softbox, and the color of the subject’s hair. A
good starting point is to have the hair light one stop brighter than the main
light. Blonde hair requires less exposure and dark hair requires more. A colored
gel can be added to the hair light for interesting effects.
It’s important to make sure the lights are not aimed directly toward the
lens, otherwise the light may flare the image and soften the overall contrast.
TIP 2: Adding Texture
Backlighting can also be used to add dimensionality and texture. By moving the
backlight so it becomes a partial sidelight, shape and texture can be emphasized.
I have both a portrait setup and mininature studio in my home. It’s in
my nature studio that I create images of flowers and insects. I often vary the
placement of the backlight to highlight specific portions of my nature subjects.
The distance from the flash to the subject remains constant, but if I reposition
the backlight at varying angles, I can produce different effects.
TIP 3: Creating Silhouettes
I also create silhouettes in my nature studio by powering down (or turning off)
my main light and using just the backlight and a light to illuminate the background.
With very little or no light falling on the subject, the light that’s
behind it produces just its shape and outline. Subjects that are easily recognizable
are good candidates for this technique. I sometimes use a colored gel on the
backlight if I feel it will benefit.
A stark silhouette is produced by shooting the subject against a white background.
My main light is placed behind the subject and aimed at a white card. I’ve
calibrated my system to give me pure white with an aperture of f/16. The key
to lighting the subject is to not have any of the main light’s output
spill onto the subject.
TIP 4: Photographing Flowers
I also incorporate backlighting into my nature studio with flower photography.
If I show the translucency of delicate flower petals, the picture has much more
impact. For added drama, I add a backlight to light the petals from behind.
With this technique, I suggest bracketing your exposures by placing the backlight
at varying distances from the flower. If the flower is light in tone, the backlight
should be placed farther away. This also holds true for the density of the petals.
The thinner and more translucent they are, the farther the backlight should
be.
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