Take photos against backlight: this is how the picture is taken

"Never take pictures against the light!" Is an outdated piece of advice for successful snapshots. You have plenty of design options, especially in the backlight, and you can capture artistic shots. We show you how to use the backlight for yourself.

Camera settings for backlit photography

The range of the correct settings varies depending on the lighting situation and the camera. For good results, however, you should take photos in manual mode on your camera. The automatic mode of most models is suitable for experimenting with backlighting, but produces underexposed images. You can start with the following settings:

• Set the ISO value as low as possible, ideally to ISO 100.
• Set the aperture to f / 8.
• Avoid automatic white balance or create white balance series if your camera offers this option.
• Only use the flash if you want to illuminate important objects in the foreground.
• A lens hood and gray gradient filter are useful, but not essential for the first attempts.

Tricks when taking pictures with backlight

Backlit photography is a challenge that often doesn't work right away. Try the following tricks:

• Choose a frame without the light source itself.
• Alternatively, cover the light source cleverly. In the open air, you can, for example, hide the sun through buildings or trees.
• Take a flash in the backlight if you want to emphasize a subject in the foreground. This effect is particularly interesting at sunset, hazy weather conditions and portrait shots.
• Play with the shadows that the backlight throws at you. Changing your perspective alone can have a big impact.

Backlit photography: popular subjects

Some perspectives and motifs are particularly good for taking photos against backlight:

• Silhouettes can be emphasized ideally in backlighting and provide high-contrast images.
• Details of natural objects come out very fine against the light, for example the veins of a leaf.
• Dense forests create atmospheric light refractions in the backlight.
• Lakes, rivers and seas sparkle particularly intensely against the light.
• Backlit fog and smoke create a mystical mood if you stage them properly.

You can find lots of successful photographs and inspiration in the CHIP gallery of the competition "In the back light". In order to be able to look directly into the sun while taking pictures, our next home tip shows how you can build glasses for a solar eclipse yourself.