question about a particular technique

I think if you look at the pictures, the technique should be pretty obvious. The only light source is coming from behind the subject. The exposure is based off of the light behind the subject, and the foreground falls to black.
 
yes i understand that. i've tried it a number of times, but i'm not getting that thin "glow' around the subject. i think maybe the sun has to be very low like in the late afternoon for it to work?
 
You can do this with any strong sharp light. For sunlight, yes, it needs to be low. You could also use a remote flash or a bright spotlight to create the effect.
 
Those look they were produced with an off-camera flash. It's a pretty easy technique - set the flash head behind the subject so they block most of the light. Adjust the intensity and zoom on the flash until you get the desired amount of "spill" from behind the subject.

I think the technical term for it is rim lighting, but I may be wrong.
 
thanks guys, that was helpful.

drflet: i doubt that they used a flash behind the subject because they're both candid street shots. but good idea if in a studio setting.
 
I think the technical term for it is rim lighting, but I may be wrong.

Yes and no.
A rim light is one you put behind a subject so the subject masks it and the light gives a 'halo' to the subject. And that is essentially what has been done in the first photo.
The second is slightly different. The technique is called contre jour. The subject is between the camera and the sun. The effect is very similar the main difference being that rim light is produced with an artificial source and contre jour with a natural one.
A subtle difference and I'm just being pedantic :mrgreen:
 

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