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Photography vocabulary · Light & Lighting

Backlight

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˈbæklaɪt/nounCommon term

In photography, backlight means: Light that comes from behind the subject, toward the camera. It can create a glowing outline, a silhouette or lens flare.

In Turkish: ters ışık, kontra ışık, arka ışık

How it is used

Used both for natural light (the sun behind someone) and for a studio light placed behind the subject. The adjective is backlit. Backlighting usually needs exposure compensation, a reflector or fill flash so that the face isn't too dark.

Example sentences

  1. The backlight from the setting sun lit up her hair beautifully.

  2. With strong backlight, use a reflector to bounce some light back into their faces.

Common collocations

  • strong backlight
  • backlit portrait
  • shoot into the backlight
  • rim light
  • golden hourThe short period just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun is low and its light is soft and warm.
  • reflectorA flat, usually foldable surface in white, silver or gold that bounces light back onto the subject to fill in shadows.
  • fill lightA weaker, secondary light used to brighten the shadows created by the key light without removing them completely.
  • exposure compensationA setting that tells the camera to make its automatic exposure brighter or darker, usually in steps of a third of a stop, shown as +1 or −0.7.

More terms: Light & Lighting

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