Backlight

I've been experimenting with backlighting.  Ross has been experimenting with snowboarding. 

 

I'm still learning... as is he.   

 

In the first photo, I should have stepped to my left to allow that tree to block more of the sunlight.  I also should have asked the girls to fall down the hill.  Which they later did.

 

 

Backlighting gives a hazy-dreamy quality to a photo.  They aren't as crisp as front-lit photos, but can be a fun way to set a mood.  Backlit photos tend to appear 'washed-out', so I find it helps to bump the exposure up just a tad when processing.  Whatever a tad means.

 

These photos were taken Thursday evening around 6 p.m.  We had significant melting on Thursday.  Friday morning we woke to 3 inches of freshly fallen snow.

 

Like I said, Ross is still learning too.

 

In the below shot, the sun was lower which let me capture his silhouette. 

 

 

In this photo, you can see sun flare.  Although a little harsh, I kinda like it.

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

I figured out why snow pictures usually turn out sharp and crisp.  The snow acts as a natural light reflector which is essential for sharp photos.  Just some food for thought.

 

 

The below photo of Maisie is a front-lit photo (meaning she's facing the sun).  Front light creates less shadows and brighter colors but can also appear one dimensional. 

 

 

In this shot, Maisie looks washed-out.  I should have increased my saturation and decreased my exposure.  I'm sure there are a zillion other things I should have done to make this better, but again...I'm still learning.

 

 

Told ya they'd fall down that hill.

 

All photos were shot in manual mode at 500 ISO and 2.8 f-stop.