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Back-lighting with flash for silhouetted wedding portraits

December 12, 2011 Neil vN 11 Comments

Back-lighting with flash for silhouetted wedding portraits

One of the easiest ways to create dramatic light for a silhouette when photographing the wedding portraits, is to add a flash behind the couple. The beauty of this is that there is a fair amount of leeway as to what would work. We need not be all that exact, but there are some a few things we should check …

 

1. The distance of the flash behind the couple – a few feet.

2. Set the flash to a wide zoom angle for the flash-head. Flipping the diffuser panel down, or using a diffuser cup, would also help spread the light.

3. Tilt the flash up by about 45 degrees.

4. It is best we don’t put the flash on the ground directly behind the couple, because if the flash comes from below them, the light tends to over-expose large areas of the underside of their faces and chins. Not ideal.  So it helps in elevating the flash off the ground. A small tripod is best.

There is more to this. I was using the PocketWizard TT5 units, and they don’t respond well if the receiving unit is on the ground. The receiver needs to be elevated to receive the entire radio wave from the sender. So I knew from experience (and one or two test shots here), that I had best elevate the flash anyway.

In the example above, I told my assistant to crouch down behind them wile holding the flash (and wireless receiver) in her hand. My instruction was to “be small” as she crouched so that she wouldn’t appear in the frame.

5. Manual flash settings make the most sense. TTL flash metering isn’t really of help here, since your camera won’t be directly metering the area lit by the flash. The flash exposure will mostly be rim-lighting, and not lighting your subjects from the front. The manual flash settings – try 1/4 power or 1/8th power or even 1/16 power, depending on your aperture and ISO.

My settings for the photo above:
1/30 @ f4 @ 1600 ISO  … lens zoomed to 30mm
My settings were based on the need to have some detail in the wedding reception venue behind the couple.  Then I added flash. Simple.

My flash was gelled with a 1/2 CTS gel.

Since the building is well-lit, there was also the option to not use flash, and just have the natural silhouette, without the flash adding the rim-light.

My settings for the photo above:
1/40 @ f2.8 @ 2500 ISO  – hand-held, lens zoomed to 24mm

And just for comparison, here is the same setup, but lit from the front.

My settings for the photo above:
1/40 @ f2.8 @ 2500 ISO  – hand-held, lens zoomed to 24mm
My flash was gelled with a 1/2 CTS gel.

Here I had my assistant hold a white umbrella aloft, with the shaft of the umbrella pointing at the couple. She also held the flash aloft in her other hand, bouncing into the umbrella. While this image works, for me, it just lacks the dramatic impact of the image at the top. However, it is a photo I would include to show the couple, just to give them the option.

 

Related articles

  • more articles about Wedding Photography
  • more images: wedding – The Palace, Somerset Park, NJ

 

Photo gear (or equivalents) used during this session

  • Nikon D3S
  • Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S  /  Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II
  • Nikon SB-910 Speedlight controlled by PocketWizard FlexTT5 Transceiver & AC3 Controller
    or alternately, the Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite controlled by Canon ST-E3 Transmitter
  • 45″ white satin umbrella

You can buy gels through these affiliate links:

  • Rosco Cinegel 1/2 CTS #3442
  • Rosco Cinegel full CTS #3441
  • Rosco Cinegel Roscosun 1/2 CTO
  • Rosco Cinegel Roscosun full CTO

 

Filed Under: flash photography, technique, wedding photography Tagged With: New Jersey wedding photographer, The Palace Somerset wedding photography


 

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I also offer photography workshops and tutoring sessions, whether in person, or via online video tutoring sessions.

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Thank you,

Neil vN

Books by Neil van Niekerk


 




11 Comments, Add Your Own

  1. 1Belinda McCarthy says

    December 12, 2011 at 7:00 am

    Many thanks for this – and particularly the inclusion of the front-lit shot for comparison, which demonstrates just how much more powerful the backlit image is. I just love the way the backlight has picked up the ruffles on her dress. Masterful, thanks!

    Reply
  2. 2Stephen says

    December 12, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    Thanks for the front-lit comparison as well. It is good to see what the picture would look like with different lighting techniques.

    Reply
  3. 3Singh says

    December 12, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    Neil, I read you used 1/2 CTS gel on flash, can you please tell what was your in Camera WB setting (in K) Was it 3800 K ? Thanks

    Reply
  4. 4Neil vN says

    December 12, 2011 at 4:27 pm

    Singh .. what is the WB of my dominant light source (lighting up the couple)?

    Reply
  5. 5Nate says

    December 12, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    Hey Neil,

    I had a quick question on this post. What was your reasoning behind your decision to gel the strobe? Would setting your white balance to ‘Flash’ accomplish the same thing? I ask because we use backlighting this way often, but never have I gelled it.

    Thanks
    Nate

    Reply
  6. 6Neil vN says

    December 12, 2011 at 7:41 pm

    Nate … in this case, I need not have gelled the flash, since the couple isn’t partially lit by Incandescent light. However, my usual way of working with flash in scenarios like wedding receptions, I keep the 1/2 CTS gel on my flash as a default. So the gel was there because it is usually there.

    Reply
  7. 7Kirk says

    December 12, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    We also love back lighting. Some times we use the Quantum T5D with Cactus V5 Radio Transmitters(2.4 GHz) (good for 300 ft).

    The gelling of the flash adds a nice blue to the back ground. Bring the couple’s heads closer and you form a heart shape.

    We normally go 8 ft back but we have a more powerful flash.

    Nice to see this done with the standard flash.

    Reply
  8. 8Cathy Deschamps says

    December 13, 2011 at 1:09 am

    Neil,
    I really like how you have more light on the bride. The light under her face, falling down the back of her dress, is very nice. Thanks for the tip about higher
    placement behind the subject.

    Reply
  9. 9Dave Block says

    December 14, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Thanks for the tips – I’ve tried this before with mixed results. I had my flash on the ground however so next time I’ll raise it up. Excellent advice.

    Reply
  10. 10Stark-Arts says

    December 14, 2011 at 11:21 am

    I don’t think that he had more light on the bride – it’s more a case of the translucent material making it appear so. One way or the other it’s a gorgeous shot….thanks for sharing

    Reply
  11. 11Joe says

    January 6, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Nice tutorial, Neil. Thanks for the pointers.

    Reply

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