5 Tips to Master Backlit Window Photography

5 Tips to Master Window Backlighting

There’s a lot to be said about the natural beauty of backlighting.  The drama of a backlit image can add an extra level of depth that makes the shot exciting and unique, and helps capture the viewer’s attention.

So, how can you create the perfect indoor conditions within your home or any indoor space to capture an ideal natural backlit photograph?

Here are five tips to help you utilize indoor backlight for great photos:

1. Focus on Your Camera Settings

Aperture is very important when it comes to backlit photography, so you will want to use your camera’s manual settings and experiment with shutter speed.  Apertures will vary from f/2.8 to f/5.6, and shutter speed can be anything from 1/100 to 1/640 but have a play around to see what settings work best for you.

You should also be up to speed with your focus.  Cameras aren’t used to photographing directly into the sun and sometimes may struggle to achieve sharp focus with so much light streaming into the lens. 

You will need to adjust your settings to get good focus.  Working with the blinding sun can be problematic… but persevere, and you can get some pretty amazing photos.

2. Look for Hard Light Shining Through Windows or Creating Shadows

To start, you need to understand your indoor lighting situation, so you can plan and set up your shots.  For example:

• When are the best times of the day to get great light indoors?
• What are the best spots in your house where the sun shines indirectly?

Light changes based on the season, so consider this when looking for the perfect indoor area for your shot.  Bedrooms, living spaces, and places with plenty of sunlight shining in are usually fantastic focal points for backlit photos.

3. Embrace the Haze

Have you ever seen a delightfully dramatic haze in a particular photo and wondered how it was created?

It is doubtful that you will have the perfect amount of haze inside your home, so the answer is to get creative and make the hazy look yourself.  Sometimes photographers will burn some toast to get a bit of smoky haze in the air. 

But if that’s not an option, or if you don’t think you can time the smoke perfectly for your shot, you can always purchase a haze machine.  You can also add haze when post-processing in Lightroom.

4. Look for Dramatic Shadows

Dramatic shadows can make for a beautiful contrast in your images.  Look for contrasting light and position your camera at an angle so that it captures the shadows perfectly and adds plenty of uniqueness to your photos.

5. Play With Your Light

Backlight can add so much to images, and playing with shapes and textures can add even more interest.  Look for light streaming through different-shaped windows and play with the different patterns and effects that are created. 

Light can take on a whole new life when you add sheer curtains into the mix too!

Conclusion

Indoor window light is a simple light source that can create some pretty spectacular images. 

Another great benefit is that indoor backlit photography can be done all year round.  It allows the photographer to spend more time photographing their subject and less time trudging around in bad weather.

Do you have any questions or comments about Indoor Backlighting?  Leave us a comment below – we would LOVE to hear from you!  And PLEASE SHARE this post using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!