Until a few years ago, it was impossible to imagine all that mobile phones are capable of today. If you look at the camera on our phones, manufacturers are constantly improving performance to such an extent that it seems that we carry a SLR camera. Of course, taking a good photograph does not depend on the camera itself, since we must configure it correctly ourselves. Taking photos against the light with our mobile is a good example.
Backlit photos are very attractive aesthetically, but the truth is that taking them correctly is not an easy task, and even more so if we do not have knowledge of photography. There are many factors to take into account when taking a photo against the light, but don’t worry, because we are going to give you some tips so that you can take them easily.
The difficulty of backlighting
As we said, taking photographs against the light is not easy for several reasons. The first one is basically because the light source is at the back of the subject or object that we want to capture, unlike most of the photos we take, which are usually placed from the front or to the side. The simplest way to do it correctly is by placing the sun (or in its case an artificial light), just behind the subject, without the light penetrating directly to the objective and thus better represent what we want to capture.
On the other hand, these photographs generate shadow shots . This means that we must be clear about the composition we want for the photograph, from the place where we are going to take the photo and the frame of the object. As you already know, shadows add movement to the image, and it is best to look for long and well-marked shadows to get a better visual tour in the photo.
Finally, there are different types of images that you can take against the light. You can capture the profile of a person, a silhouette, a landscape, show the transparency or texture of some objects … As you can see, there are a lot, but they all have different techniques and requirements when capturing it.
Factors to consider when taking a photo against the light
The exhibition
First of all, light is the most important element when taking a photograph, and in backlit photos it takes on greater importance. Exposure is the balance between the aperture, the exposure time and the sensitivity of the sensor of our camera, with the aim of correctly capturing and emitting the existing light in a scene through the photometer. When taking a photograph, we can find three different scenarios depending on its exposure:
- Overexposed : when we capture more light than there really is in the environment, projecting areas that are too light.
- Exposed : when the amount of light we capture is true to reality.
- Underexposed : when we capture less light than there really is in the environment, leaving areas of the image very dark.
To correctly control the exposure in our backlit photographs, we can do it in three different ways:
- Automatic exposure : in the camera of our mobile, we press the area of the screen where we want to capture the light. When you click on it, the camera will adjust the exposure automatically to capture it correctly. On the other hand, if we make a long press, the exposure and focus lock mode, called AE / AF , will be activated. During the time it is activated, the exposure will remain fixed in that area. If we want to unlock it, click on another area and that’s it.
- Exposure compensation : the method may vary depending on the model of our device, but in general it is represented by the symbol of a sun or a light bulb and by the +/- symbols. In any case, we will find a sliding bar to adjust the amount of light to a greater or lesser extent.
- Manual exposure : not all mobiles have this mode, through which we can further adjust the exposure. If it is included, it will be represented by a clock, and it is measured in fractions of a second (1/4, 1/30, 1/125…). The higher the numerator, the shorter the exposure time and less light will be taken.
The situation of the object to be photographed
Before taking a photo against the light, the first thing we have to do is position the object or person correctly. We must look for a good background with appropriate lighting to achieve the desired effect. Once we have achieved this, we will adjust the exposure with respect to the background, and thus we will correctly capture all the details. We can do it automatically and then compensate the exposure, or manually and measure all the parameters ourselves. With this we will achieve that the silhouette that we have captured is dark and the background well lit with great clarity in all its details.
The sunlight
Here we must take into account several things. The first one, it is best not to focus directly on the sun. The ideal is also to prevent it from appearing in the photograph, as this will prevent spots and white flashes from appearing. On the other hand, the ideal times to take a photo against the light are at sunrise or sunset, as they will give us a more powerful and attractive luminosity and we will also obtain a better contrast between the object and the background.
With or without flash?
