10 Stunning Portrait Photographs That Make Brilliant Use of Backlighting

It’s a common belief in photography to keep the subject perfectly lit from the front to capture good photographs. While it is generally true in many cases, shooting against the light and utilizing backlighting can let you create some stunning images.

Take portrait photos, for example. Backlit portrait images can help you capture rim lighting, the fine illumination or halo of light surrounding your portrait subject, especially with the light dispersing through their hair. This can be accomplished using both natural and artificial light. Early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky, is a great time to utilize sunlight to photograph backlit portraits.

This post is a collection of photographs that illuminate how backlighting can add a magical touch to your portrait shots. It’s not going to be about silhouettes though, just to be clear. We hope that these photos inspire you to capture backlit portraits of your own.

If creating portraits is something that interests you and you would like a more complete training on capturing memorable portraits, do take a look at Kent DuFault’s guide on the art of portrait photography. But for now, let’s sit back and enjoy these photographs!