How can I create a rim-lit silhouette with bokeh lights behind the subject?

Asked 9/10/2018

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I saw a photo where the people are almost completely dark, with only a thin rim of light outlining their heads, and there are large circular bokeh lights in the background. I understand the circles are likely small out-of-focus bulbs, but I’d like to know how to create this look. Is it done entirely in-camera, or is it likely a composite? What kind of lighting setup would produce the silhouette and the background bokeh?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

2 Answers

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There are two ways to go about accomplishing this - in camera and in post.

Both techniques will rely on shooting a rim-lit subject.

Put a flash behind the subject. In my image, I actually had the flash cranked up WAY too much, so I'm getting additional light acting as fill (bouncing off the couch and back toward the front of the subject):

Set-up below shot is below. Flash is a 430EX set to 105mm, full power, with 3 MagMod grids attached. They limit the light to 15 degree beam. I'm shooting directly opposite the flash, putting Yoshi right between me and the flash.

enter image description here

And the resultant image:

enter image description here

Technique 1: post pro add in

Now, some rough clean up work to darken everything around my couple:

enter image description here

And finally, topping with some stock bokeh shot. Bokeh meshed using Add method and slightly less opacity. Bokeh used from https://www.pexels.com/photo/time-lapse-photo-of-lights-220118/ under CC license.

enter image description here

Assuming you take the time to do this right, I'm sure you could do a lot better. But, to recap:

  • Have a point light source firing from behind, this is called a rim light
  • Darken any areas that you want gone in post
  • Add a stock bokeh shot on top, whether yours or purchased. (Creating your own stock bokeh photos is simple and fun. All you really need are some Christmas lights. Here's a good how-to)

Technique 2: in camera

And here's the shot redone holding this string light in front of the lens. It's a bit bright where I am right now and I didn't darken out the BG. Please excuse that for this example...

Photo of the lights:

enter image description here

Photo of the shot:

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Having a big handful of Christmas lights would be better than this simple string. Also, it's terribly hard to use string lights when a cat is in the room.


To restate: These are two very different techniques to accomplishing the same thing. Many photographers are in-camera purists and will despise the above technique. If you have the time, by all means, go for in-camera. If you are shooting this on location with a non-model couple, then I would advise getting a shot without the foreground bokeh...just in case you need it later, because, now you know, you can do this technique in post quite easily.

Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user67377

7y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

This look can be done in-camera, though it can also be enhanced in post.

The key is rim lighting: place a flash behind the subject, aimed toward the camera, so the light only skims the edges of the subject and outlines them. Using a grid helps keep the beam narrow and prevents spill. If you want a true silhouette, avoid any front fill light and use flags/gobos (even a chair or other object) to block light from hitting the background or subject front.

For the bokeh, put small point light sources in the background, such as string lights or a garland of bulbs, and shoot with a wide aperture (for example, f/2.8) so they blur into large circles. The farther the lights are behind the subject, the larger and softer the circles can appear.

A gel on the flash can tint the rim light if desired.

So: no, it doesn’t have to be a composite. A hidden backlight plus distant out-of-focus bulbs can create the effect in one shot. Post-processing may still be used to deepen shadows or add extra bokeh overlays.

UniqueBot

AI

7y ago

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