Last week we spoke about photographing butterflies in harsh light. We highlighted turning that kind of light into a back lit shooting opportunity. Under certain circumstances we can also get some rim-lighting. Is it possible thought, to get both back lighting and rim-lighting at the same time? Well, technically speaking rim-light is back lighting. With subjects such as flowers and butterflies their petals or wings are thin, enabling the light to shine through them. Rim-lighting is really the same back lighting but now our subject is no longer "thin," meaning that the light cannot shine through. Thus we have a mostly dark subject that is rim-lit only.

          However, if the subject is thin-ish and we get the angle to the light right, we can have both back lighting and rim-light. The back lighting will not be that strong since it has to penetrate more petals or two wings, or perhaps a bird's wing. Nevertheless, here is an example of what we can create:

Neither the backlighting or the rim-light is as strong as in other examples, but we can see the vivid color in the wings caused by the back lighting and we can see some rim-lighting on the back edge of the wings. An image like this definitely beats the same image taken with the harsh light coming from behind the photographer.

          The lesson is simple. We tend to see a subject, walk towards it, and take the image. We need to stop and think first (provided the subject will wait for us or return again). We need to ask ourselves questions. How does the light look? From which angle is the light going to be more flattering? Can I use the weakness of bad light as a strength? Given what I am facing here, what is the best possible image I can get?