RIM LIGHTING

by Adrienne Lubbe

Photos by Glenda Cressy and Adrienne Lubbe

The purpose of rim lighting is to use light (sunlight or artificial light)

to define or outline the edges of the subject. It almost creates a halo effect.

The light source should come from the side or from behind the subject.

Choose a subject that shows lots of fine detail like the fur on the hat shown above,

or hair, or feathers etc. This allows the light to burst through the fine texture.

Rim lighting also helps to show texture and the overall shape of the subject.

Flare may occur when using rim lighting as a technique. See the red/green colour-

burst just above the bird. This is created by the sun and can be avoided

by using a lens hood attached to the front of your camera.

Some other subjects that you can use to show rim lighting are

glass or plastic bottles, animals with long hair, water droplets on glass,

fine organza fabric, flowers and leaves.

'Every cloud has a silver lining'

NB: Be careful when shooting into the sun that you do not point the camera directly

towards it as this can cause severe eye damage.