Silhouettes have a sense of mystery. They force us to look for what we can’t see in a photograph. And because part of the scene is “missing,” we may look an long time at a silhouette – using our imagination to “fill in the blanks,” so to speak.
Shady history
Before I get to the tips, here’s an interesting fact about the origin of the word silhouette. Before there were pictures in newspapers, there were line-art drawings. Back in France in the early 1800s, the Count de Silhouette, the Secretary of the Treasury, was caught stealing money. In the newspapers of those days, he was depicted as a dark and shady character. So, dark pictures eventually became known as silhouettes.
Before we get to examples, here are the key ingredients for successful silhouettes:
- Set your camera on the Program or Automatic exposure mode.
- Meter the brightest part of the scene, lock in the exposure, and then underexpose by a stop – using the +/- exposure compensation control on your camera or increasing the ISO (ISO 100 to 200).
- Underexposing will make your subject darker (more dramatic) and any colors in the background more saturated.
- To get the effect you want, bracket your exposures (take exposures slightly over and slightly under the “one under” setting to fine-tune your exposure.
For the most dramatic silhouette, place the sun – or main light source – directly behind the main subject. For pictures with the most detail, set your digital camera to a low ISO setting (or use slow film). Because your background will be relatively bright, there is no reason to use a higher ISO setting (or film).
Now, on to the examples.
1. Use a foreground element if possible and practical, to add a sense of depth to the scene. A foreground element also adds a “sense of place” to a picture.
2. Don’t always place the subject in the center of the frame when shooting silhouettes at sunset or sunrise. An off-center subject is usually more pleasing – because it forces your eyes to look around in the frame.
3. At sunsets and sunrises, take a lot of pictures. As the light changes dramatically, so will your pictures. That means if you shoot film, take a few rolls. If you shoot digital, make sure you have plenty of space on your memory card.
4. When photographing a person, you’ll need a profile if you want your subject to be recognizable. That means asking the person to look directly to the left or right of the frame.
5. Take advantage of strong backlighting to “make” a dramatic picture. Remember that there is a BIG difference between taking a picture and making a picture.
6. Even on overcast days you can take nice silhouettes. Get down low and shoot toward the sky. On days like this, try black and white film or the black and white setting on your digital camera.
7. Go for a semi-silhouette. Shoot when the sun is in front of you at about a 45-degree angle and underexpose your picture by a stop or two.
8. Do it digitally: Select a picture in which the subject is surrounded by a relatively bright background. Now, in Photoshop (or whatever program you use), select the dark area, using either the Magic Wand or Lasso tool. N go to Brightness and reduce the brightness to point where the subject looks black. There you have it, a simulated silhouette.
Rick Sammon is the author of the Complete Guide to Digital Photography.
See www.ricksammon.com for details.
