So many pictures and images can be spoiled by backlighting. You know the scenario: your friend is sitting in your conservatory with the windows behind her. You take the picture and she is darkened and silhouetted. The backlighting has fooled your camera and the wrong exposure (for your subject) has been selected.

The reason for this is all down to your camera. The meter in the camera calculates the correct exposure – or so you think. In fact, it calculates what it THINKS is the correct exposure, only in the example above (and any other situation with excessive backlighting) there is an abundance of light. The camera takes all the light information and averages it out. In this case, it will expose the scene less because it sees too much light.

However, your subject wants more exposure as she is not being lit in the same way. Her face is in low light or even in shadow. The camera doesn’t know this, of course.

The answer? Increase the exposure by a stop (or even two). This will increase the exposure for your subject to show face and body detail. The alternative approach is to take a meter reading not from the whole scene but from the subject alone.

Both ways will give you excellent results.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com.

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