Sunlight shining on your friend from behind creates a glow around her and separates her from the background. This technique is similar to the “hair lights” used in professional portrait studios.
There are several ways to meter the light for this set up:
- If the backlighting doesn’t play a big role in the picture, then you can meter the whole scene. I could have done that for the photo on the right if the background hadn’t been so dark.
- If the backlighting plays a dominant role—such as in the photo on the left—zoom in on your subject’s face (or the surface away from the main light source) so the highlights are excluded. Set your exposure (tip # 9), and then recomposed the picture to include the backlighting. This overexposed the highlights, but enables you to see the girl’s features. You can also use a reflector to bounce some of the light back onto your friend’s face—if you happen to have it with you.
- Another way to meter for this type of lighting would be to determine the exposure with the sunlight included. The subject would be dark and silhouetted by the glowing light (see picture in tip #6). This also works well when taking photos against a water backdrop in which the sun is reflecting off the surface. Play around with how much light you allow into the frame when you set the exposure, and see what affect it has on your pictures. Remember, the more bright light you allow into the frame when you meter, the darker your subject will be.
Don’t be afraid to use this type of lighting. As you can see, you’ll be delighted with the results.
WARNING: Please do not look at the sun directly with your camera—or even without the camera. It’s extremely hazardous to the health of your eyes.