Have you ever tried to take a picture of a friend on a very bright sunny day? And the result being not his happy smiling face, but dark face and very bright background behind? Yes, congratulations: you have successfuly captured his silhouette! So why are you even reading this article?

The above example is quite common when your camera is reading the light from the background and not the subject in front, resulting in overly underexposed image of a friend.

So how do you potray a silhouette when you want to? And what should your camera settings be like for best results?

Subject

A silhouette is whenever you have a sharp black shape (= no details ) against a bright background . The shape can be anything: statue, person, couple (you can make very romantic images! ), people, buildings, tree, object, bird.. Anything! As long as it’s sharp, distinctive and does not overlap with other shapes.

Whatever subject you choose, make it simple !

Time of the day

Most silhouettes are taken during sunrise and sunset , with sunset being the most popular: usually the colours are much more vivid and there is no need for early morning either. The best time is when the sun is just above the horizon.

But you can also take it during the day , when your subject is partially or completely in the shadows. Remember: your subject must be darker than your background and you already get a silhouette!

It can also be achievied indoors (studio): As a background use white paper, direct bright light source(s) at the background, and place a subject in front (with no light falling on it). That’s it! Improvise!

Equipment

It is recommended to use a tripod , but it is not a must.

You can use either telephoto or wide-angle lens , each having a particular effect which is shown especially when the sun is captured as well. Telephoto lens shows sun as really big compared to the silhouette, while wide-angle lens gives you just the opposite effect.

Composition

• As mentioned before, make it simple ! One subject. Simple lines.
• Subject must be clean and should not overlap with others.
• Sun can be:
  • not on the scene;
  • partly behind the subject, showing its rays;
  • directly behind the subject, getting a nice sun glow around the subject.
• Follow the composition rules.

Important: Never look through the lens directly at the sun! It can damage your eyes!

Setting the camera and capturing an image

1. If your camera has RAW , use it. You can correct and improve the image greatly later on the computer. You can also play with white balance, setting it to cloudy.
2. Set to aparture priority (A). If you’re not going to measure the light (fourth step), you can set both the shutter and aparture manually.
3. Make sure your flash is turned off . Automatic programs usually have flash going off, so choose a program that is not automatic.
4. Measure the light on the background (not on the subject ), but also not on the sun. You can use spot or center-weighted metering. Press the shutter button half way to get the reading and then lock it with AE-L button.
5. Set the aparture: use small apartures (= high f/ number ). For orientation: the background must be at least 3 stops lighter than the subject.
6. Create composition and focus on the subject. Remember: make it simple and watch out for overlaping shapes!
7. Take a picture!

Experiment! Put on a filter (like polarising filter). Play with aparture settings. Switch to manual mode and play with shutter times. Or why not trying shooting in black & white?

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