Interesting Photo of the Day: Sunkissed Grape

Interesting Photos

Backlighting your subject—simply illuminating the subject from the side that’s facing away from the camera—is an interesting lighting technique. Many photographers use it to take stark portraits, but the results are equally effective when photographing nature. Backlighting adds a certain glow to the subject, making it stand out from its surroundings. The following image, shot by photographer Deckman, showcases an extreme example of this:

“A Backlit Grape” by Deckman (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Deckman shot the image with an Olympus E-M1 MKII camera and a 12-40mm f/2.8 lens at 40mm at f/4. You might be surprised to know but that the subject grape is in fact the same color as others. When the photographer came across this bunch, a fine ray of sunlight was illuminating just that one grape from the back. This is what makes it appear red and brighter than the rest.

“I couldn’t figure out what was happening until I passed my hand over the bunch and blocked the sunlight. When I did, that lit-up grape looked like all the others.”

If you think about it, the color red can convey a sign of danger—as if that one grape is about to blow, or it’s poisonous, or a ball of hot metal. Is it a forbidden fruit?

Have you ever come across a natural phenomenon like this? Let us know in the comments.