47
Use the sun for backlighting

Backlighting a subject to create a halo-like outline of their hair and body is an excellent way to make the subject stand out from the background. Although this form of lighting is often achieved in the studio using a flash head positioned behind the subject, it is also possible to do it with natural sunlight. The principle is very simple: the subject is placed so that the sun is directly behind them. As the subject has their back to the sun, their face will be in shade. To get around this, use a white reflector (a white diffuser can also work on bright days) placed on the ground and angled to reflect light back up to the subject. By moving the reflector towards and away from the subject, you can vary the amount of reflected light. Because you are facing the subject with the sun behind them, lens flare (caused by sunlight directly entering the lens) is highly likely. The problem can be avoided by positioning your camera so that the sun cannot directly reach it, either by shooting from a shaded area or by having the subject themselves obscure the sun from view.

SUNKISSED

This shot was taken with the sun behind the model; the white clothing reflected light on to the model’s arms. With this in mind, it is worth ensuring that strongly coloured tops are not worn, or this will discolour any reflected light. We used a white reflector to bounce light back into the subject’s face. To warm skin tones, consider using a gold reflector, but take care as the effect can easily be too strong. It is safer to shoot late in the day to add golden highlights created by the warmer light at this time of day.

Canon EOS-1DS, 70–200mm lens at 100mm, 1/250 sec at f/3.2, ISO 100.