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.
And the resultant image:
Technique 1: post pro add in
Now, some rough clean up work to darken everything around my couple:
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.
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:
Photo of the shot:
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
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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.
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