Many photographers have likely looked at a silhouette image and wondered how exactly it was taken and composed. Silhouette images can contain a couple looking at a sunset, a cityscape with the sun shining through buildings, or just a normal horizon. To get an effective silhouette image, a photographer must be in the right place at the right time and have the right exposure settings.
-Definition of silhouette
In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark on a light background. More specifically, it is where the subject appears as a smooth black shape on a brighter background. It is an expression of fine art photography that many photographers like to refine and perfect in their images. This effect can be achieved with any bright light source, the sun being the most common. In a sunset silhouette photo, the sunlight in the background is exposed correctly, forcing everything else in the photo to be underexposed causing the effect.
-Silhouette techniques
When you are preparing to take a silhouette image, there are many things to keep in mind. These tips are equally effective for digital and film photography. First of all, you need to make sure that there is not too much light on your subject, even if it reflects off your subject, stray light will ruin the effect. If there is not enough backlight, the subject will appear gray instead of black. The effect is simply multiplied when you have multiple colors of bright lights in the background. Some photographers focus on artificial lights, others focus on the sun at certain times of the day, the possibilities are endless.
-My silhouette tips and techniques
I usually take my silhouette images when the sun is just above the horizon. I prefer the time around sunset because the sun makes the sky brighter than everything else for greater contrast. Another technique I use is to align the sun directly behind the subject so that it causes a glow effect around the main subject. I usually use a relatively large subject, so it creates a more drastic effect than a small, insignificant subject.
I always use a narrow aperture (high f / stop) so the camera captures the entire scene with a great depth of field so everything is in focus. I usually use manual aperture mode on my camera so I can control what the aperture will be and then the camera automatically selects the correct shutter speed needed for the photo. If you are trying to create the effect with a point-and-shoot camera, be sure to compose the photo with the backlight pointing the camera at the background. If you compose the image by pointing the camera at your dark subject, then the background will be overexposed and you won’t end up with a silhouette.
There is no exact science to taking a great silhouette image. It will take practice, luck, and experience to capture truly amazing silhouette images. So keep practicing.