The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days

About the author: The article is translated from sharing by Karthika Gupta - a professional wedding photographer and photo editor currently living in Chicago.

One of the most important elements of photography is light. So it is very important for photographers to understand the types of lighting as well as how to adjust the light when shooting each shot. It is not easy to know exactly the intensity, direction and quality of each photo frame.

When photographing outdoors or wanting a photo with natural brightness, sunlight in the early morning (when the Sun is low at the horizon and soft light - Soft Light) or at the setting of the Sun is ideal. However, it's not always easy for photographers because customers are often afraid of taking photos at dusk and early morning. Especially in the case of wedding photography, many wedding ceremonies are held outdoors, at noon with harsh sunshine and the photographer cannot completely change this decision of the customer. Now, what you can do is learn about the tricks to take beautiful photos when the environment has too much light and in this article, I will guide you.

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 1
Karthika Gupta's rose flower pots were taken at noon (using a shading tool)

Note: Most of the images used in this article are very "SOOC" (traight out of camera). I didn't edit it so you could honestly see the image taken in extreme light conditions.

1. Place the subject's back facing the sun

If there is no shadow, your only option is to place the subject completely in the light area and the easiest tip is to have the subject turn to the Sun. This will help prevent nearly all beams from shining directly on the subject, preventing them from squinting when there is direct light, while making the subject in the picture become underexposed and becoming a floating black shape turn on the frame. This technique is called backlit photography.

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 2
Rose pots are taken in the middle of the sun, when the Sun rises to the zenith

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 3
The flower pot on the left is taken in bright sunlight and the flower pot on the right is taken in a backlit fashion

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 4
Use a light-emitting plate to highlight the flowers

The ideal time to take photos back in the morning is the early morning when the sun rises or the late afternoon before sunset - when it is still bright but not too harsh. Normally, in the summer, you should start taking photos before 7am and afternoon from 4:30 - 6:30. In winter, this time may vary slightly, but the "golden" time frame for all types of images is related to sunlight, always early in the morning and at sunset.

A beautiful backlit photograph should also have a good composition. The harmonious combination between the subject and the background makes your work more interesting and attractive. The photographer can take advantage of surrounding objects such as window frames, domes or a canopy so that the picture becomes lively and close.

2. Self-shade creation

If you want to maintain details on the background, sky or want the subject's face to be brighter, let the subject stand behind a tree (behind the tree is sunlight), use a good mirror lighted up. In difficult cases, you can take advantage of the flash as an effective light compensation tool, however, the level of perfection is not equal to other tools.

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 5
The flower pot on the left is placed under a tree, the flower pot on the right is an example of light spots speckled on petals.Note that there are some cotton in the shade, and some are still illuminated by the sun.

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 6
Flower pots are placed in the sunlit place

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 7
Use a waterproof panel to reflect a little light on the flower pot

3. Use light-emitting device

If all else fails and you have no choice but to place your subject in the hot sun, use a radiator.

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 8
Use a radiator

The secret to photography is backlit in the bright sunny days Picture 9
The light was scattered around, making the flowers more beautiful

The light-emitting device will cause the light to be evenly distributed across your subject, possibly a white opaque cloth or a specialized device.

4. Some other useful ways

1. In case you cannot move the subject, you can change the shooting angle such as top-down shooting or bottom-up shooting.This method helps to adjust the angle of the sun to the subject and angle of the camera, creating a special effect for the photo.
2. You can use the Polar filter (or Neutral Density instead) to reduce light reflection, making the amount of light entering the machine less, helping a slower shutter speed and smaller aperture.In addition, Polar filters also allow you to better control some colors, especially when you have a blue sky in the frame.
3. In strong light conditions, metering can become more difficult.At this point, you can choose Spot Metering mode on a DSLR camera and select the main subject of the scene as the focus point when measuring light.Also, choose a neutral area to measure if you want everything to have good light.If you have a lot of time, take lots of photos that light up different parts of the scene and choose the best picture afterwards.