Monochrome Madness | Backlight

This week’s Monochrome Madness is being hosted by the lovely Brian from Bushboy’s World (hence why I often refer to him as BB)  and his chosen theme is Backlighting.

What is backlighting I hear you say? Essentially it is using a light source that is not directly behind you to create a more dramatic scene. It’s best not to shoot directly into the sun for instance, but having the light coming from in front or to the side of you can work well to highlight shapes and patterns in leaves or flowers, or to create soft light around the subject or to create a dramatic silhouette where the subject matter is a solid black shape.

I often shoot into the sun when I am at the beach because it creates that lovely sun glitter on the water and here I think it accentuates the rolling waves.
And in this instance you get the liquifying effect of water on the sand and the silhouettes of happy dogs chasing along the shoreline.

Shooting the light through leaves can create a transparent effect. I’m not sure this works as well in black and white as it does in colour, but it is something I do frequently when photographing leaves and flowers. A backlit tulip can be stunning.

Ballerina

In winter when the light is low you can often utilise this by shooting directly with the sun behind your subject. Here I waited until the sun was almost below the horizon.

I will end with one of my favourite ‘contre-jour’ photos of the entrance into the courtyard of the Louvre, Paris, France. The figures closer to the light source are more defined, whilst the figures closer to the camera are more solid shapes.

All photos were taken in colour and edited using Photoshop Elements and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Thank you Brian, I hope you enjoyed these!

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

26 thoughts on “Monochrome Madness | Backlight”

  2. I especially like the dogs on the shoreline, and that of the arch to the Louvre. It reminds me of one of Sue’s xx

  3. Well, I’m sure Brian will enjoy these, but what does that matter? I did. No favourites here – they all are.

  4. I did really enjoy your backlit photos Jude 🥰 You are so right about the glitter on the water and the shapes created in the running dogs on the beach. The arch is brilliant as is the tree.
    So glad you posted all of your fabulous photos Jude 😀

  5. Lots of interesting examples, Jude. Especially also like the changing textures in the ‘happy dogs’ on the beach shot.

  7. Great set of images, Jude. I especially like those back lit tulips and the last image of the Louvre

  10. I love the way backlighting brings out the sparkle on the ocean. There’s a name for it, but I can’t remember it. It is supposed to have a calming effect

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