"Backlighting" is the term used in English when a light source is in the distance and behind the subject of a photo. This can create some interesting effects as light streams through, or around, the subject. While looking through my photos recently, I noticed several of them feature backlighting and thought it would be fun to showcase some them here in one post. All of the following photos were taken by me.
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Flowers, at Sunset
In the light of the setting sun, above, the flowers on the right-side of the photo look almost lilac from a distance. But up close, as the following photos attest, they are so pale pink they're almost white, with a darker fuchsia splotch inside. I have five or six colors of azaleas, but I think these are probably the prettiest to me. 😊
Here are some of those same plants in the autumn, with light scattered from morning fog in the background.
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Sunset at Bald Rock
On the side of a nearby mountain, there is an enormous outcropping of granite which one can walk onto. From there, one can see other mountains in the distance as well as the valley below. I happened to be passing by one evening as I headed home after attending an event on the other side of the mountain. Since I was in no particular hurry, I decided to stop and watch the sunset from there. I liked how the sun was backlighting the trees, creating wonderful silhouettes!
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Amber
Amber is a sticky resin that seeps from trees when they are injured, sometimes trapping small bits of leaves or insects and thus fossilizing them when the resin hardens. [1] Once the resin has fully hardened, it becomes similar to a small, waxy-feeling rock. Since it is translucent, light can filter through from behind and make the trapped organic matter easier to see. Amber can be made into pendants, earrings, or simply enjoyed in its natural state, giving a sense of connection to events of the past.
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Fire Rainbow
A "fire rainbow" — more properly called a circumhorizontal arc — occurs when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals in clouds, usually high cirrus clouds. [2] Sometimes, an entire circular "halo" can be seen, but sometimes just small segments ("arcs") of a halo can be seen, as shown here. Sometimes, the ice crystals can break the light apart into its constituent colors, much like a prism. That effect is partly seen here by the presence of orange.
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Rutilated Quartz
The metal titanium appears in nature combined with oxygen as titanium dioxide (TiO2). Titanium dioxide can appear in many forms, the most common of which is Rutile. [3] When long needle-shaped rutile crystals are included in quartz rock, it is known as Rutilated Quartz. [4] The following pic is a piece of my Rutilated Quartz, backlit by sunlight.
And here is the same piece, lit from the bottom rather than behind, with a bright light shining straight up into the heart of the sphere under more controlled conditions. Things like this are fascinating to me!
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Autumn Leaf
Mother Nature is amazing, and so much detail can be seen, if one looks carefully, at leaves, rocks, the bark of a tree, and other items. I thought the color of this leaf was simply magnificent and had to take this close-up view of it. But, look at all those veins and patterns in the leaf! 😍
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High Heel
One of my high-heeled shoes. I thought it would make a cool silhouette if placed on a table with sunlight streaming through the curtain behind it.
And the decorative bows on those shoes sparkle in sunlight! How fun! 😁
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Kitty Shadow
Silhouette of an awesome cat. He preferred being outdoors 90% of the time, basically only wanting to come inside to eat, have me scritch behind his ears, and hang-out during inclement weather. I would often roll out of bed in the mornings and see his silhouette through the curtain in the den, waiting for me to open the door and let him come inside again for breakfast. It was so funny!
You can ---> read this post <--- to learn his favorite way of going outide again! 😸
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Sunset
Striking colors of a sunset backlighting some trees with shades of pink, orange, and yellow on a late winter day. Simply sublime, but the photo didn't capture all the beauty my eyes perceived!
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Solar Eclipse
Thinking back to the Total Solar Eclipse of 21-Aug-2017, the ultimate in "backlighting" — where the Moon is backlit by the Sun! This snapshot was taken with my cellphone camera at mid-eclipse.
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Keyboard
A backlit keyboard was on my wishlist long before I could afford one. They are so handy for working in dim lighting, or when one's eyesight diminishes with age, as I'm well learning.
I have more photos with backlighting effects; perhaps I will do another similar post some day. Feel free to share your own backlit photos in the comments!
𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘! 😊
SOURCES & NOTES
1 Wikipedia: Amber
2 Wikipedia: Circumhorizontal Arc
3 Wikipedia: Rutile
4 Wikipedia: Rutilated Quartz
- All writing is always by me with NO AI used, not even for proofreading.
23-Sep-2026
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Beautiful shots! We usually call those "sun dogs" I think. I can understand why a kitty wouldn't like that term though... :)
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nice creative photography !
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Such beautiful details; flowers always move me, and these have a lovely color. A teardrop-shaped piece of amber—very interesting. Wonderful photographic details, captured at just the right moment. Best regards.
Que hermosura de detalles, las flores siempre me emocionan y estas tienen un hermoso color. Un amber con una forma de gota, muy interesante. detalles fotograficos maravillosos, tomadas en el momento oportuno. Un abrazo
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Amazing shots the Rutilated Quartz has so much detail it looks stunning from both angles.
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pero que hermosas imagenes, flores y vestuario, el disfrute debio salir genial
The backlit images you’re showing us are very beautiful; I love the flowers, the quartz, and the sunsets. Thanks for sharing your photos and the details about each one—it’s certainly a lot of fun.,
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Cool shots Kitty.
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Nice captures @thekittygirl! I especially like the sunset one. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely evening! 🤗🌹 !LADY
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Nature looks gets no bore
Great post but you forgot to mention that amber is also good for capturing prehistoric insects containing dinosaur DNA! 🦖🦕