Take photos against the sun - this is how the photos work

Strong backlight from the sun can be useful when taking pictures. With the right equipment and the right technology, you can achieve great effects here. In our practical tip, we show what you should pay attention to.

Taking pictures against the sun: Useful equipment

In any case, you need a camera that you can control completely manually. This is the only way you have real control over how your picture will look later. There are also useful accessories for backlit photos:

• Lens hood: You should not do without this. A lens hood is screwed onto the front of the lens and prevents light from falling into the lens from the side. Otherwise the picture would look matt and lack contrast. Many lenses are already supplied with a sun visor, with others you can buy a suitable lens later.
• Reflector: So that your motif does not appear too dark against the sun, you can brighten it with a reflector. Since sunlight is still used here, the image continues to look very natural.
• Flash: Of course you can also use artificial light sources. With a high-quality flash and the right technology, you can illuminate your subject perfectly and still get the backlight effect. In another article, we show how unleashed flashing works.

Backlit photos: Find the right settings

When shooting against the sun, you should be familiar with your camera's settings. The best way to control the exposure is manually, since the camera electronics can be overwhelmed by the difficult lighting situation.

• ISO: It is usually quite bright in the backlight of the sun. You can take advantage of this by choosing a low ISO value of 100 or 200 and thus obtaining a very low-noise image.
• Autofocus: The focus of the camera often fails when too much backlight falls into the lens. However, you can work around the problem: To focus, hold one hand to the side of the camera so that it casts a shadow on the lens but is not yet visible in the image section. The autofocus then works much better.
• Exposure: If you take pictures of the sun against you, you will mainly have problems with burned-out, overexposed areas of the image. You can counteract this by manually underexposing one to three levels. Your subject may now be a little too dark - but you can easily correct that in post-processing.
• RAW: This is where our next tip comes in: take photos in RAW format. In particularly light and dark areas of the image, more details are retained, which has a clear advantage in post-processing. You can also adjust the white balance later without loss.

Against sunlight: creative picture ideas

The best equipment is useless if you don't use it. We give some suggestions for taking pictures against the sun:

• Portraits can look very stylish against the light. It is best to take a picture of your model early in the morning or in the evening when the sun is low. Sunlight is reflected in the hair and skin and creates a glamorous look.
• Capture silhouettes: If you underexpose on your camera, your actual motifs only appear as black outlines, while the sky is more clearly drawn.
• Use smoke or fog for mystical effects. For example, landscapes in the morning mist can be captured wonderfully with a little creativity.
• Look for exciting details in nature. If, for example, a thin leaf of leaves is illuminated by the sun from behind, you can photograph the fine veins. Reflections in streams or lakes can also be used for great pictures.

The best tips for taking pictures of a sunset can be found in our next practical tip.