Backlight

This is a situation where the subject is directly in front of a strong source of light. For example, taking a picture of a person indoors sitting in front of an open window. Another situation that may produce strong backlighting is a shot with the sun behind the subject, or even the sun reflecting off a surface behind the subject.

In all these situations there are several possible solutions. You can turn on fill flash on your camera. This will illuminate the front of your subject, making a more balanced, pleasing image. Another solution is simply to shoot from another angle so that the strong light source is not directly behind the subject.

If you want an immediate indication that backlighting might be a problem in your shot, turn on live histogram (if your camera has that function). Look for unbalanced indicators. This would be strong light or dark elements in the histogram without a balanced middle range. Your camera may also indicate over and underexposed areas of your picture before you take it. Consult your camera’s manual for more information on your particular model.

If backlighting cannot be avoided, and flash is not an option, try using exposure compensation or using a reflector to reflect light back onto the subject. Experiment by turning the exposure compensation down one or two stops. This will produce a darker subject, but will result in the backlit area not being as blown out (too much highlight). It is much easier to brighten back up a dark area in post-processing, than it is to get any detail out of a blown out backlit background.