I discovered this technique, during a photo exhibition, which consists of backlighting the photo inserted in a specially designed photo frame to accommodate a LED lighting system.
I must admit that the result is stunning for several reasons:
– the backlighting allows to enhance the photo by distributing the light evenly throughout the image, creating a soft and harmonious overall aspect
– the possibility of varying the brightness is an undeniable asset to highlight the photo and attract the attention of the public
– the possibility of varying the color temperature of the light allows to modify the atmosphere and the feeling of the image giving a relaxing atmosphere and conducive to dreaming.
Backlighting, very little known by the general public, is rarely used by an amateur photographer for exhibitions of photos for cost reasons.
Indeed, there are only proprietary solutions (such as LED display frames for advertising, for example) expensive and not necessarily adapted to the needs of an amateur photographer.
I became interested in this technique by trying to design a LED lighting system and a photo frame to accommodate this LED lighting system.
Here is an example of retro illuminated photos: 30X30 LED panel, custom 30×30 wooden frame to house the LED panel, photo printed on retro-illuminated film.
The LED panel is turned on using a remote control which also allows varying the brightness and color temperature but does not allow lowering the brightness to 0. However, it requires mains voltage to work.
The cost of this set comes to 70 euros excluding printing, still too expensive in my opinion.
I am currently designing a solution based on LED strips illuminating a acrylic plate optimized for LED diffusion. The advantage of this solution is to be able to lower the brightness to 0, and to power the 5V LED strip with an external 5V battery.
