Natural Light Portrait Photography - How to Create Backlight or Hairlight
By Marc Crooze | Submitted On June 29, 2012
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Expert Author Marc Crooze
A good portrait is all about contrast. Contrast is the difference between lights and darks or sharps and blurry's in a single photo. Contrast makes a subject stand out. And isn't that what we want in a beautiful portrait? Backlight or Hairlight is a great way to make your portrait subject (a human) stand out. The light comes from the back (hence the name Backlight) and creates a rim of light around the edges of the subjects hair (hence the name Hairlight). This rim of light creates a perfect border of contrast between the subjects head and the …show more content…
This means that we are either in the early or mid morning or in the mid or late afternoon. Because long loose hair will be subject to movement by the wind, it's best to have the wind going into the direction of the Sun. This means that if the wind is coming from the East, it's better to shoot in the afternoon, when the Sun is in the West. If the wind is coming from the West, it's better to shoot in the morning.
Background
So we need a darkish background for the rim of light to stand out. It's not necessary for the background to be very dark, just a little darker than the subject or the surroundings. A dark background could be formed by some trees with dark leaves and shadows, a dark wall or the shadow side of a building, etc. The key is to take some time and look around. If you just give yourself a minute, you will find the best spot.
Placement of the
By Marc Crooze | Submitted On June 29, 2012
Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook 2 Share this article on Twitter 1 Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon 1 Share this article on Delicious 1 Share this article on Digg 1 Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest
Expert Author Marc Crooze
A good portrait is all about contrast. Contrast is the difference between lights and darks or sharps and blurry's in a single photo. Contrast makes a subject stand out. And isn't that what we want in a beautiful portrait? Backlight or Hairlight is a great way to make your portrait subject (a human) stand out. The light comes from the back (hence the name Backlight) and creates a rim of light around the edges of the subjects hair (hence the name Hairlight). This rim of light creates a perfect border of contrast between the subjects head and the …show more content…
This means that we are either in the early or mid morning or in the mid or late afternoon. Because long loose hair will be subject to movement by the wind, it's best to have the wind going into the direction of the Sun. This means that if the wind is coming from the East, it's better to shoot in the afternoon, when the Sun is in the West. If the wind is coming from the West, it's better to shoot in the morning.
Background
So we need a darkish background for the rim of light to stand out. It's not necessary for the background to be very dark, just a little darker than the subject or the surroundings. A dark background could be formed by some trees with dark leaves and shadows, a dark wall or the shadow side of a building, etc. The key is to take some time and look around. If you just give yourself a minute, you will find the best spot.
Placement of the