Portrait photography tip: Separate your subject from the background with a hair light

Thursday 16 July 2020, 15:51 by Elja Trum | 4,976 views | 0 comments

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

Is the available light already looking good, but does your subject blend into the background a little? You can separate your model from the background by using a hair light, also known as a rim light.

Lieke - f/3.5, 1/60s, 400 ISO @ 85mm
You use a flash here, or let the available light fall in the same way, from behind onto your model's hair. This creates a clear separation between the background and the hair.

You don't necessarily have to use a hair light to separate your model from the background. It can also create the effect of pleasant sunlight falling on your model. This gives your photo a summery feel.

You can place the hair light directly behind your model and make sure that, in your photo, the model blocks the flash itself with their body. A good alternative is to place the flashes diagonally behind your model.

Your hair light will then be much larger on one side than on the other, but it gives you more freedom of movement.

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