The harsh backlighting paradoxically served to increase the perception of softness by adding contrast.

Photographer: Allan Carrano
Camera: Nikon D5100
Lens: Nikkor 55-200mm F4-5.6G
Settings: 180mm, F6.3, 1/200sec., ISO 100
Post processing: B&W conversion, cropping and adjustments in Photoshop Elements 12