In
lighting design, backlighting is the process of
illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the
lighting instrument and the
viewer face each other, with the subject in between. This creates a
glowing effect on the edges of the subject,
while other areas are darker. The backlight can be a natural or artificial source of light. When artificial, the back light is usually placed directly behind the subject in a
4-point lighting setup. A back light, which lights foreground elements from the rear, is not to be confused with a
background light, which lights background elements (such as scenery).
In the context of
lighting design, the back light is sometimes called hair or shoulder light, because when lighting an
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
or an
actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
, backlighting makes the edges the subject's hair glow if the hair is fuzzy. This can create an angelic
halo type effect around the head. Filmmakers sometimes use this to show that the actor is ''good'' or ''
pure''.
Television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
productions often use this effect in
soap operas
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originated from radio dramas original ...
, where it has become something of a
cliché of the
genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
. It is also sometimes called the kicker or rim light.
Backlighting helps separate the subject and the background. Live
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
lighting designs often use backlighting to give a more three-dimensional appearance to actors or set elements, when front lighting alone would give a flat, two-dimensional look. In ''
chiaroscuro'' effects in painting, such as the candlelit paintings by
Joseph Wright of Derby
Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution".
Wr ...
(''illustration''), backlighting helps separate subjects in the foreground and emphasizes depth.
In photography, a back light (often the sun) that is about sixteen times more intense than the
key light produces a
silhouette
A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...
. A
fill flash used with a backlit subject yields more even lighting.
The vertical angle of the back light can change the effect. A low angle can make the light hit the camera lens, causing
lens flare. A high angle can make the subject's nose extend out from the mostly vertical shadow of the head, producing a potentially unwanted highlight in the middle of the face.
See also
*
Chiaroscuro
*
Contre-jour
Contre-jour (; ) is a photographic technique in which the camera is pointing directly toward a light source, source of light, as well as an equivalent technique of painting.
Description
Before its use in photography, contre-jour was used in pa ...
References
{{Artificial light sources
Stage lighting
Photographic techniques