One of my absolute favorite things to photograph is silhouette photos.
WHAT IS A SILHOUETTE?
In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark against a light background.
More specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background. This is an artistic outcome that many photographers like to perfect.
This effect can be achieved with any kind of bright light source, but of course the most commonly used is the sun around sunrise or sunset. The backlighting from the sun shadows everything towards you and produces this effect.
Silhouette photos instantly grab your attention because of the contrast between dark and light. They share emotion and mystery which pulls the viewer in deeper to create a more meaningful connection to the image. And then a story is told. As photographers, that is our main objective(To capture).
Sometimes ago, before I learned about silhouette, I stared at a silhouette photo and wondered how exactly they were taken.
Silhouettes could contain a couple’s moment on the beach, a person staring out at a landscape, or an amazing cityscape with the sun going down in the background.
Silhouette photographers must have great timing and perfect exposure settings.
Here is Ten tips I have found , in learning how to capture stunning silhouette photos:
The background needs to be brighter than your subject.
The main objective is to make your subject stand out. I often take my silhouette photos right before sunset.Choose a subject with distinct lines and shape. Your subject has to be recognizable.
Your subject should be isolated.
If there is more than one person in the picture, make sure they have a little space between them. Also, if there is anything in the background that is blocking the light or taking attention off of your subject, move your subject to a more open area to keep the subject recognizable.Get down.
Been on the stomach when shooting silhouette photosn allows for less background interference with your subject.Now you are ready to shoot!
When I remember, I use spot metering .Close down your aperture
or smaller to add a starburst effect to your image.Step back a little to frame your subject
while continuing to pay attention to distracting backgrounds.
Silhouettes can also be taken inside on a dreary day.
Just look for a window with bright light and let your creative juices flow.Silhouettes can also be taken inside on a dreary day.
Just look for a window with bright light and let your creative juices flow.Silhouette photos do not have to leave the subject completely black.
Partial silhouette photos offer an almost three dimensional feel to the image.Have fun with editing .
Add more saturation and contrast during post processing to really make your silhouettes pop.
I love silhouette photography,and I hope to do more of it.