Help with Backlighting exposures

mr2step · 27th of January 2010 (Wed)

hey everyone. I am working on my new T1i and am really wanting to get good at shooting backlit shadow shots such as trees with the afternoon sun rays coming through the canopy. I am not sure which is the best way to obtain this. Obviously my feable attempts have been poor. What you end up with is the common under/over exposed situation where the tree shadows are pitch black and the sunlight is exposed for or the sun is over exposed/blown out.
Assuming you do not have a external flash, which I do not, what is best way to work this type of situation? How does one meter and then lock exposure? i am thinking that if i meter off another portion of the shot, lock exposure then recompose it might work?
All hints and tips are appreciated!! Thanks you guys

RonnieA · 27th of January 2010 (Wed)

Cameras have a limited amount of dynamic range. You could try metering a portion of the sky without the sun in the viewfinder and locking in that exposure. Or take multiple shots (bracket) with varying levels of +-EC to account for the shadows and highlights and blend them in photoshop.

neilwood32 · 28th of January 2010 (Thu)

Given the huge dynamic range in question here, you will always have the situation you have mentioned unless you can modify the light.

By modify, I mean adding more light to the subject (flash, reflector etc).

The other option as Ronnie has said is multiple exposures (minimum of 2 - one for the foreground object and another for the sky) and blend them in post processing.

IslandCrow · 28th of January 2010 (Thu)

On another note, I would recommend shooting in manual rather than locking exposures. If you're shooting a silhouette, you're generally just going to meter off the sky (to the left or right of the sun of course) and then compose your shot. The scene generally isn't going anywhere, so there's really no need to use an automatic or semi-automatic mode. But as the others have said, if you're not looking for a silhouette shot, you're either going to need to use a GND filter, use flash or a reflector, blend multiple exposures or invest in the software and learn HDR techniques.

27th of January 2010 (Wed)	#1
mr2step Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: North Central Florida, USA Posts: 310	Help with Backlighting exposures hey everyone. I am working on my new T1i and am really wanting to get good at shooting backlit shadow shots such as trees with the afternoon sun rays coming through the canopy. I am not sure which is the best way to obtain this. Obviously my feable attempts have been poor. What you end up with is the common under/over exposed situation where the tree shadows are pitch black and the sunlight is exposed for or the sun is over exposed/blown out. Assuming you do not have a external flash, which I do not, what is best way to work this type of situation? How does one meter and then lock exposure? i am thinking that if i meter off another portion of the shot, lock exposure then recompose it might work? All hints and tips are appreciated!! Thanks you guys __________________ Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. www.Brettmissick.com Brett Missick Photography on Facebook My Wordpress Blog

27th of January 2010 (Wed)	#2
RonnieA Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 968 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Help with Backlighting exposures Cameras have a limited amount of dynamic range. You could try metering a portion of the sky without the sun in the viewfinder and locking in that exposure. Or take multiple shots (bracket) with varying levels of +-EC to account for the shadows and highlights and blend them in photoshop. __________________ MkII x 2 \| Rebel XT \| EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 \| 17-40mm 4 L \| 50mm 1.8 \| 85mm 1.8 \| 70-200mm 2.8L \| 300 2.8L IS \| 1.4x & 2x TCs \| Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW \| 580ex II Four Seam Images

28th of January 2010 (Thu)	#3
neilwood32 Cream of the Crop Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sitting atop the castle, Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 6,121 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Help with Backlighting exposures Given the huge dynamic range in question here, you will always have the situation you have mentioned unless you can modify the light. By modify, I mean adding more light to the subject (flash, reflector etc). The other option as Ronnie has said is multiple exposures (minimum of 2 - one for the foreground object and another for the sky) and blend them in post processing. __________________ Having a camera makes you no more a photographer than having a hammer and some nails makes you a carpenter - Claude Adams Keep calm and carry a camera! My Gear

28th of January 2010 (Thu)	#4
IslandCrow Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Rapid City, SD Posts: 455 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Help with Backlighting exposures On another note, I would recommend shooting in manual rather than locking exposures. If you're shooting a silhouette, you're generally just going to meter off the sky (to the left or right of the sun of course) and then compose your shot. The scene generally isn't going anywhere, so there's really no need to use an automatic or semi-automatic mode. But as the others have said, if you're not looking for a silhouette shot, you're either going to need to use a GND filter, use flash or a reflector, blend multiple exposures or invest in the software and learn HDR techniques.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Backlighting	jgrussell	Birds	23	7th of July 2009 (Tue) 20:56
Bulb~Long Exposures giving me Over Exposures	Ariane911	General Photography Talk	11	29th of July 2008 (Tue) 09:40
Need help with some backlighting...	SE Smith Jr	Wildlife	1	3rd of February 2008 (Sun) 13:58
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LONG TIME EXPOSURES AND INTERVAL EXPOSURES..WHAT IS IT??????	MKII	General Photography Talk	8	24th of March 2007 (Sat) 07:15
backlighting	dioptic	General Photography Talk	1	4th of July 2005 (Mon) 21:26