Coming back…need HTML coding help.

Hi, I’m coming back into the web design business, but it has been a long while since I’ve done any work. I just need to know if there was anybody who could help me w/ a few html coding. I’m trying to create a background color to the text so that the web page’s background doesn’t affect the reader’s ability to read it. Otherwise, what’s the html coding for lighting the background image of the web page so that it is a lighter shade. Thanks.