backlighting Techniques in B&W

[lilmsmaggie]

Buenos tardes! - my friends

I hope this makes sense. Sometimes I have a little trouble articulating my thoughts/questions.

My final photography assignment for the semester involves a backlit subject.
We spent maybe 30 minutes discussing the assignment, viewing some samples. Now that I have a full semester shooting film, I'm beginning to feel that some shooting situations are more of a serendipitous nature, even in the case of a backlit subject.

I'd like to get some idea and suggestions on how a professional, working with B&W film might approach, and plan for such a project, e.g. choice of lighting (day, night, indoor/outdoor, etc.), film speed, subject matter choices, special considerations, etc.

 

[eddym]

What is the intent of the assignment? Is it to teach you to use fill light to open the shadows of a backlit subject? Or is it to teach you to dramatically light a subject for a rim light effect, or a silhouette? The lighting will be very different in each case.
If you are learning fill light, you might want to use a reflector or an extra light source to fill the shadows of the subject.
If the other alternative, you will not need reflectors, or you might use them more judiciously, filling only certain areas, and/or using less fill.

The first image is an example of the first effect, a backlit outdoor candid of a bride, filled with on-camera flash.

And the other is a backlit portrait of another bride, with no fill, for a silhouette effect.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rick A]

This situation, like all others, is dependant on your vision of the finished print. Do you want a silhouette, or do you want the background to be blown out with the subject properly lit ? Do you want the subject and the background to be equal? You must ask these questions, and then experiment with exposure to see which outcome you like and want to hand in for grading. I recommend you do some research on backlight photos, then determine what it is you want to convey to your viewer.

Rick

 

[lilmsmaggie]

What is the intent of the assignment? Is it to teach you to use fill light to open the shadows of a backlit subject? Or is it to teach you to dramatically light a subject for a rim light effect, or a silhouette? The lighting will be very different in each case.

That's just it. Rather vague assignment. The instructor did say that it would be important to bracket exposures for this assignment. Probably because you're going to get different results depending on the subject.

I don't necessarily want to blow out the background thus creating a sihlouette. I'd like to have some detail in the subject. I'm looking for to create a somewhat dramatic effect. Curiously, there was one example that was shown that to my mind looked more like the subject was side-lighted.

 

[MattKing]

Are you required to submit one print only, or can you satisfy the assignment requirements with several?

I ask, because it would probably be really informative for you to show several versions of the same subject, adjusting the direction and quality of the light as you go. If you accompany the various images with commentary that indicates your understanding of and explains the results (e.g. "a softly lit near silhouette results in an ethereal look with softened facial detail and emphasis on the shape of the head"), your assignment may turn out to be quite useful.

Matt

 

[Leighgion]

I don't necessarily want to blow out the background thus creating a sihlouette. I'd like to have some detail in the subject.

You're a little confused here.

Blowing out the background is how you get detail on your backlit subject.

If you don't blow out the background, that's when you get a silhouette.

At heart, backlighting is just a specific kind of high contrast scene where you need to pick which end of the scale you're going to expose for. Personally, I like silhouettes, but if your assignment is so vague, just do what pleases you long as it involves a backlit subject.

This is one of my personal favorite silhouettes, shot with my Mamiya 645 Super on Tri-X:

 

[Christopher Walrath]

By her admission, it's a very vague assignment. Her confusion I think is the fault of the instructor. The teacher needs to better communicate the object of the lesson so the students can better understand what it is they need to do.

And I really do not like a teacher of photography suggesting bracketing unless he makes a point that this is a starting point only so they can see what exposure combinations have what effects.

I would take METICULOUS notes or else bracketing will only serve to hinder your understanding down the road.

 

[lilmsmaggie]

Are you required to submit one print only, or can you satisfy the assignment requirements with several?Matt

We're required to submit only one print.