The Story Behind the Photo: Backlit Winter Branch

Backlit Winter Branch Photo Story

When I’m out on a morning nature photography walk, I try to look for backlit subjects. These can either be silhouettes or provide a backlit glow to the subject.

On this particular winter morning, I was out photographing birds in Cuyahoga Valley National Park when I noticed this backlit branch from a weed growing along the trail.

I have started carrying my Olympus OM-D E-M5 along in my pocket while photographing birds just in case I see a composition that I like. The articulating LCD on the Olympus OM-D came in handy on this shot. I did not need to get down low to the ground or look directly in the sun to get this shot.

Backlit Branch Photo Details

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Olympus 12-50mm f3.5 – 6.3
Focal Length: 43mm
ISO: 400
Aperture: f/6.0
Shutter Speed: 1/4000 second
Exposure Compensation: -.7
Lighting: Clear, sunny winter morning. Subject was backlit by the rising sun.

Backlit Branch Post Processing

The photo was cropped and the exposure darkened in Lightroom
Topaz Clarity, Macro II preset was used to adjust the photo clarity and contrast.
Selectively adjusted the brightness and warmed the sun using Viveza 2.
Reduced the noise using the Luminance Noise Reduction Slider in Lightroom.

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