When you have a subject and background that are similar in tonality, exposure, colors, or even patterns, an effective backlight can help to separate those similarities. In return, this helps your image look more dynamic.

The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the inverse of the system's optical power.

Front lighting examples

A catadioptric sensor is a visual sensor that contains mirrors (catoptrics) and lenses (dioptrics), a combined catadioptric system.

The brightest light you have access to is the sun. If you place your subject in front of the sun, it becomes the ultimate backlight. With a source as bright as the sun, you have the option to bounce the light right back onto the subject’s face. Essentially, this makes your backlight also become your key light. It’s a 2-for-1 special.

Fill lightexample

The PAX-it Image Analysis Software Module includes all the features of the Basic Measurement Module, while adding an additional level of capability. Rather than ...

We’ve discussed a lot about backlighting being a way to separate your subject from the background. However, a well-placed backlight can also create a dramatic mood. It can silhouette subjects or create a fun shadow play.

2024716 — Sensor Size · 4.5 x 6mm (so-called 1/2.3") — Used in typical compact digital point & shoots · 5.6 x 7.4mm (so-called 1/1.7") — Used in top-grade ...

Backlightingphotography

Last, but not least, experiment. Filmmaking is an art form. Backlighting is an art form. There’s no singular way to backlight. There are many methods to effectively backlight your talent. Over time, you’ll discover what methods work best for specific content. Until then, try a little bit of everything.

A dark field microscope produces a contrast-enhanced image by indirect illumination of the specimen, thereby also unstained specimens can be displayed with high ...

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Side lighting examples

With your backlight, there’s a tendency to slightly overexpose a portion of your image. Since the backlight doesn’t affect the majority of a subject’s face, the overexposure may be hard to notice at first. However, you can easily spot it around the ears or neck areas of your subject. A quick way to overcome this is by simply dimming your source down to an acceptable level.

As often as we all share our successes, I feel we should also share some failures along the way. For me, when I think about backlighting, my mind immediately goes to one job I failed at. I’d been working professionally for a couple of years at this point and was hired to help a friend of a friend create a Kickstarter video. As part of that video, I shot an interview on a black backdrop. The subjects were wearing black shirts. It was the perfect situation to utilize a great backlight to separate the subjects from the background. But, guess what I didn’t do? I didn’t set a backlight. As a result, the video looked like two floating heads in a state of oblivion. I’m purely sharing this screenshot for educational purposes on what not to do. No backlight = Not good.

A 3-point lighting setup is the most common and practical means to light any subject. It consists of a key light, fill light, and backlight. The backlight’s role in this setup is to create a sense of separation between the subject and the background.

Examplesof backlightingin film

Horus is the name of a sky god in ancient Egyptian mythology which designates primarily two deities: Horus the Elder (or Horus the Great), the last born of the first five original gods, and Horus the Younger, the son of Osiris and Isis. According to the historian Jimmy Dunn, "Horus is the most important of the avian deities" who takes on so many forms and is depicted so differently in various inscriptions that "it is nearly impossible to distinguish the 'true' Horus. Horus is mostly a general term for a great number of falcon deities". While this is certainly true, the name 'Horus' will usually be found to designate either the older god of the first five or the son of Isis and Osiris who defeated his uncle Set and restored order to the land.

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All too often, I feel that since the light of a backlight doesn’t fully hit the talent’s face, we neglect the quality of light we use—quality meaning softness in this scenario. However, one of the classic errors you can make with a backlight is a nasty ear shadow or a hot spot on the side of a face. One way to mitigate these shadows is by utilizing diffusion on your backlight. A backlight doesn’t always have to be a hard source. It can also be soft.

An important thing to note is that a backlight has many names. On a set, it can be referred to as simply a backlight. But, it can also be called a hairlight or a kicker light. While these terms can be interchangeable with some slight differences, they’re all lights from behind intended to create some form of separation between the subject and the background.

Horus the Younger was a powerful sky god associated with the sun, primarily, but also the moon. He was the protector of the royalty of Egypt, avenger of wrongs, defender of order, uniter of the two lands, and, based on his battles with Set, a god of war regularly invoked by Egyptian rulers before battle and praised afterward. In time, he became combined with the sun god Ra to form a new deity, Ra-Harahkhte, god of the sun who sailed across the sky during the day and was depicted as a falcon-headed man wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt with the sun disk on it. His symbols are the Eye of Horus (one of the most famous Egyptian symbols) and the falcon. Continue reading from World History Encyclopedia

So, that’s exactly what we did and it made the scene that much better. That adage is something I still use to this day. Most scenes will be hugely advantaged by a backlight. So, if you find yourself in a lighting scenario where you’re not exactly sure where to start, begin with a backlight.

Documentary photography examples

The backlight may be the most important light on any set. A well-placed and utilized backlight can quickly elevate any production, giving it that coveted “cinematic look.”

(HPF-LP-VIS-FT-3) Visible bandpass filter, 76.2x76.2mm , 0 deg AOI, for mid range power light sources. This long pass filter is made of absorbing glass. It is ...

by FE Sahin · 2018 · Cited by 37 — Wearable visual aids for those with low vision employ an optical imaging system that is used to acquire external scene information that can be processed to ...

202193 — The focal length of a lens determines what your camera can focus on, and how your images are going to turn out.

Overall, the backlight is an essential piece of your lighting setup. It can create separation, depth, and help you achieve that cinematic look.

This example image below is a perfect example of window light serving as the backlight in the scene. This natural approach creates the separation of the subject by simply utilizing natural light.

Filmmaking is a 2D art form. However, using a backlight can help create the illusion of dimension in your video. While there are other means for creating a sense of depth like depth of field, backlighting is a key component.

A few years ago, I was filming a Home Depot ad. We were in the garden department, which has really soft, overhead light. As the gaffer and I were determining how we wanted to make this ambient lit space pop a bit more, the director yelled out, “When in doubt, backlight it.”