Flash photography tip: Draw attention to your subject with your background

Thursday 31 August 2023, 20:40 by Elja Trum | 2,577 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

You can use the background to draw attention to your subject. A lighter spot directly behind your subject works well for this. Your subject is then in the lighter area, while the rest of the background is darker. The light area automatically draws attention.

Maud - f/9, 1/160s, 100 ISO @ 78mm
Aim a flashgun with a simple reflector (or a snoot) at the spot directly behind your model's head. If you want a round circle, the best place for the light is also directly behind the model. This allows the light to fall straight onto the background.

By varying the distance between your flashgun and the background, you can make the circle of light larger or smaller. You can create a sharper transition between the light and dark areas by placing a grid on your light modifier.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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3 comments

Stefan ALEN wrote on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 10:54 | reply
Another option is to add a vignette to the finished photo, you can fine-tune it nicely and possibly mask it on certain parts. All roads lead to Rome.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 11:03 | reply
Yes, that is possible too.

In this example, however, you will also get the vignette in the veil and on her shoulders, unless you mask it out again.
Translated from Dutch.

Stefan ALEN wrote on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 11:04 | reply
indeed, that's what I meant in my text.
Translated from Dutch.

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