No one is aware that many of today’s mobiles are capable of achieving unthinkable photographic results only a few years ago. Huawei has spent years focusing on the improvement of its cameras generation after generation. The Huawei P20 can still achieve surprising results that rival some of the new models launched in the middle of 2020.
Thanks to the large number of options available, we can start playing with some photography techniques that until recently were reserved for professional cameras. One of those techniques are the so-called backlit photos , which although they are not easy to do and require patience, we can achieve great results with our Huawei P20.
The backlit technique
Backlit photos are characterized because the source of the lighting is in front of the camera and not behind. In this way we can play with the results, either because the subject can cover the source of the lighting or because the light directly affects the target. What we have to be clear about is that the protagonist of this photo is the Sun, but it doesn’t have to be the main subject of the composition.
The tricks on the Huawei P20
The Huawei P20 has envelope hardware to achieve excellent results, as long as we follow appropriate guidelines for this type of photos. Recall that the terminal has a double rear camera of 20 + 12 megapixels with Leica optics and options such as laser focus, AF or HDR. Its front camera reaches 24 megapixels.
Turn off flash
Since what we want is to capture a lot of light, the flash is an enemy of backlit photos. We will have to deactivate it before the shot. In this way we will ensure that details such as the edges of the hair remain unchanged.
Shutter speed
Within manual adjustments, we must adjust the shutter speed. As the environment we are in is intense ambient light. For this we modify the parameter between 1/80 and 1/125, although there is no fixed value and everything depends on the environment in which we are, so the idea is to play with these parameters until the desired result is achieved.
Adjust EV compensation
This is another setting to take into account to take backlit photos. As the ambient light is high, we must decrease these parameters until the viewfinder shows the scene just as we want.
AWB, white balance
Adjusting the white balance is also useful in backlit shots. As we are under direct sunlight, we must touch the sun icon within these settings to compensate for this excess but achieve the desired effect . Also if we touch on the icon that has a “1” we can adjust the color temperature to give the photo a cooler or warmer tone by increasing or decreasing the K value.
Take advantage of the best time
The most spectacular photos against the light are produced during the last 15 minutes of the Sun. Being at the right time is always an advantage, so a sunset with this type of light will make the results even better . The so-called Golden Hour is much appreciated by professional photographers. In this case and if we are not very familiar with the subject, we can get an orientation app like PhotoTime that will keep us informed at all times.
