1
SET-UPYouneedtofindanareaof openshadetopositionyour
subjectontheedgeof sothatit fallstodarknessbehindthem– an
openingtoa woodedareais perfectora doorwaywouldworkwell,
too.Youdoneedsomesuntoreflectontoyoursubject’sface,but
overcastdaysaremoreflexible.Placethemat the edge of the light
where no shadows fall across their face.2
FINDYOUREXPOSUREYourfirststepis tofindyourambientexposure
andthendeliberatelyunderexposeit. Youcandothisin manual
modebydiallingin yourflashsyncspeed(checkyourcamera’s
manual),thelowestISOratinganda mid-aperture(f/5.6-f/11).It’sa fine
balancingactbetweenunderexposingthebackgroundandgetting a
good exposure of your subject, so trial and error is necessary.3
LIGHTYOURSUBJECTThefurtherawayyourbackgroundis fromthe
subjecttheeasierit willfallintodarknessasyouexposeforyour
subject’sskintone.Onbrightdays,trytoplaceyoursubjectjustbehind
theedgeof theshadeandanglea reflectortowardsthemtobouncea
littlesunlightontheirface.Placinga reflectorunderneaththem,too,
canhelpbounce up a little light tofillin anyshadows under their chin.4
FLASH POWEROnceyou’vefoundyouroptimalexposure,revealinga
welllit subjectagainsta darkbackground,setyourflashgunto
half-powerandfirea testshot.You’rewantinga fullhaloof lightthat,
ideally,willalsoreachthereflectortobebouncedbackontoyour
subject’sface.If thehairlightis tooweak,increasetheflashpower;
you’ll likely need to wait longer for the flash to recycle between frames.5
POSITIONYOURFLASHBoththeseimagesareshotat 1/200secat f/7.1
butshowa massivedifference– thepositionof theflash.The
furthertheflashgunis setawayfromthesubjectandtheheadis tilted
upwards,themoreit’sgoingtoilluminatethesurroundings.Position
theflashgunona standorthefloorwiththeheadangled 45° and
pointing towards the back of your subject’s head.6
EDITYOURIMAGETogetyourbackgrounddarkin-camera,youmay
havetounderexposethesubject’sskinslightlyandliftit in post-
production.Usinga LevelsorCurvesadjustmentlayer,youcaneasily
brightentheskintonea stoportwoand/ordarkenthebackgroundto
minimisedistractions.TheCloneStampToolwillalsohelpwith
removing any nearby foliage that has been illuminated by the flash.28 DigitalSLR PhotographyJanuar y 2020
ONE METRE AWAY ONEFOOT AWAYBacklight with flash