Backlighting examplesphotography

So there’s actually a dedo and an LED panel behind each actor. The camera is set to a white balance of 3,200K. Each dedo provides a strong, white backlight, narrowly focused so as not to spill onto the opposite actor’s face. The LED panels, positioned much closer to the talent, provide a slightly softer light with a dialled-in temperature of 4,500K.

Backlightingdefinition film

When we got to Carmina’s close-up I decided the LED panel alone was still too harsh, so I bounced it off the silver side of a collapsible reflector. I adjusted the panel to an angle where just a little direct light was hitting the side of Carmina’s face, and this kind of blends with the bounced light to provide a gentle wrapping illumination.

Here’s a super-recent example of cross-backlighting in action, on the set of The Gong Fu Connection. I’ve complicated things a bit though here. I’ve decided I want the characters’ keylights to be softer and cooler in colour than their backlights.

Backlighting examplesat home

This DIY trick has been floating around the internet for years now, but it is one that holds its own in small studios and independent productions. In the industry, soft frost is commonly referred to as shower curtain because it is often the same material as a common $10 shower curtain. One of the great things about this trick, other than restroom curtains often come in different capacities and colors, its that it is a very large and is able to turn an average speedlight into a large soft source.

The defining characteristic that makes a light either soft or hard is the relative size/distance of the light source to the subject.

Examplesofbacklightingin film

Showcasing a soft and diffused light quality, the image below was created using a diffused (matte) reflector. Because this type of light is not as reflective, it has less contrast. Out of the two, diffused light is a more flattering light for portraits as it does not direct attention to any one part of the subject. Typically, fashion photography use diffused light for it’s flattering and soft qualities.

What is backlight in photography

In the video, Blankenship explains that you don’t need deep pockets to achieve a quality look, in fact, a few dollars is probably what it will cost you. He uses an inexpensive shower curtain to soften the light and compares it to much more expensive alternatives.

A common scenario in filmmaking is that you have two characters standing talking to each other and you need to do a two-shot and an over-the-shoulder of each. A quick way to light this kind of scene is cross-lighting: you set up two lamps so that each lamp serves as one character’s backlight and the other’s keylight.

Backlightingeffect

I practice what I like to call cross-backlighting. What I mean by this is that the lamps are both on the opposite side of the actors’ eyeline to the camera. The result is that the downsides of their faces are lit. (Check out this post on key angles if you’re not sure what I mean by downside.)

If shower curtains are not your foray other everyday items such as T-shirts, bed sheets, Tupperware can be used in its stead. The options are endless, you just have to be a little bit creative.

In the video herein, filmmaker Todd Blankenship demonstrates the difference between harsh and soft light for Shutterstock’s latest video tutorial.

For the close-ups I repurposed the LED panel that wasn’t being used as a background light, dialling it back to 3,200K to match with the location’s existing tungsten lighting that was already doing a lot of the work.