|
When familiar subjects don’t produce the desired results, try reaching
into your photographic tool bag and using a favorite secret of photographers
everywhere—the sun. Adding the light from the most powerful source known
to man is a great way to improve the composition of your pictures. By including
the sun behind your subject, you can produce a dramatic, bold graphic statement.
When using the sun as your main light source, you create a strong separation
between a subject and the background. This technique creates a rim of light,
silhouetting the main subject and emphasizing textures. It can also reveal the
translucent quality of your subject.
This article will show you how to add the sun to your photography by using a
rim-lighting effect. There are two basic ways to make natural rim lighting work
effectively: Shooting directly into the sun, including it in your image; or
shooting toward the sun without including the sun in the picture. Both methods
can change and enhance any subject.
 |
When you include the sun in your pictures, you can render your
subject as a silhouette. By taking precautions to avoid damaging
your eyes or your camera equipment, you can shoot directly into
the sun and include it in your photo. The best—and safest—times
to photograph the sun are during sunrise or sunset. When shooting
at these times, you can also get some dramatic colors in the sky.
|
|
A Word of Caution
One cautionary note before we go any further: Care should be taken for your
eyes when shooting into the mid-day sun. Contrary to some photographers’
beliefs, placing a dark filter over the lens before pointing your camera towards
the sun does not remove the infrared radiation that can burn and permanently
injure your eyes. According to the Kodak Encyclopedia of Photography, “You
should not point an unfiltered lens at the sun unless you can look at the sun
comfortably and without squinting.” This includes using sunglasses, photographic
neutral-density filters, polarizing filters, or processed color film, as these
materials appear dark but still transmit infrared energy that can burn your
eyes.
The best times to view the sun directly should be limited to sunrise and sunsets,
and some bright overcast days where the clouds provide a veil of protection.
One method some photographers use to look at the midday sun is to put either
a processed piece of conventional (not chromogenic) black-and-white film or
a specially aluminized plastic film over the viewfinder. A piece of graphic
arts or microfilm product processed to maximum density, or the leader from a
processed roll of black-and-white film works quite well in making a solar filter.
According to Kodak Tech Bits, an even better method is to purchase an evaporated
metal filter, which is available from Celestron International, P.O. Box 3578,
Torrance, CA 90510; or Roger W. Tuthill Inc., Box 1086, Mountainside, NJ 07092.
These filters reduce the sunlight intensity at all wavelengths by nearly 1,000,000
times.
 |
 |
Another area of concern should be for your camera. Do not point your camera
continuously at the midday sun unless you’re using an evaporated metal
filter of at least density 5.0 to cover your lens. Be sure that any separate
viewfinder or light-metering apertures are also covered. After taking your picture,
move the camera away from direct sunlight. This will prevent damage to your
equipment from the heat.
Direct Sun
You can use the sun as the main subject of your photograph. Many wonderful photos
have been created where the fiery orb is the center of attention. When photographing
the sun as the main subject, all the usual compositional standards apply. Although
the sun is a powerful subject, you will need to find ways to lead the viewer’s
eye toward the sun. For example, using cirrus clouds is a natural way to draw
your viewer’s eye to your subject.
The most popular use of the sun is as a counterbalance to the primary subject
of the photo. Simply adding the light from the sun directly or indirectly to
your picture changes the tone of the image. Your subject now becomes a silhouette,
void of detail with light filtering around the edges. By using the sun to produce
a rim of light, you produce a graphic quality out of your main subject.
To create a rim-lighting effect, move around until the sun is behind your subject.
As you position the sun in the viewfinder, watch your subject. The key to rim
light is to position the sun in relationship to your subject so that the sun
peeks around its edge. As the sun moves farther behind your subject, the deeper
the shadows become. Putting the sun directly behind your subject will create
a silhouette.
 |
 |
Right: The setting sun casts a glow on this building.
|
|
|
