What is Front Light and/or what is Backlight?

The Basics:

Put simply, it is where your main source of light is coming from. If it’s in front of a subject, it’s called Front Light. If it’s behind, it’s called Backlight. For example, if you’re taking a portrait shot of someone with the sun coming from the background, that’s known as backlight. If you’re shooting in a studio with lights illuminating the subject from in front, that’s front light. More often than not, you will typically need to adjust your exposure settings to make sure the main subject is not too dark (in backlit shots) or too bright (in front lit shots).