Backlit Photography

I enjoy shooting subjects that are backlit. Doing so is an important aspect of my photographic style. Backlighting is when the subject is between the photographer—me—and the light source; for me, usually the sun since I’m an outdoor photographer.

There are a number of scenarios for shooting backlit subjects:


The subject is translucent, usually small, thin, and close like a flower or . . .

. . . leaves.

The subject is opaque. The sunlight forms a glowing nimbus around the subject.

The subject is the sky with the sun shining through clouds on partly-cloudy day. This can result in dramatic shots. If the sun is only partially covered, the result may be a sunburst effect or crepuscular rays both of which are in this image.

Same day, same place, same conditions

I occasionally shoot translucent subjects on a light pad in my kitchen-table studio, a completely different style than my outdoor photography.

I used HDR processing for these two light-pad photos


The best life is the one in which the creative impulses play the largest part and the possessive impulses the smallest.”
—Bertrand Russell


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The End Of August