Silhouette photography makes for some of the most striking imagery when executed properly. Some of my favorite memories occur around sunset at our cabin, and capturing silhouettes of my family on the beach lets me hang on to those feelings each time I look at them.
In one of my recent articles in Somerset Memories, I shared how to digitally create a silhouette if you didn’t have one captured with your camera. I’ve gotten a couple questions asking for tips on how to shoot silhouettes with your digital camera, so below are a few:
- Shoot near sunrise or sunset for the best light, as you want to backlight your subject. Try other light sources, such as a camp fire, reflected light on water, or street light.
- Today’s camera’s are so intelligent that they will try to prevent subjects from being silhouetted. Therefore, you may need to bracket your exposures or set your exposure compensation accordingly, such as -1 to -2.
- Aperture Priority is recommended so you get the maximum depth of field (f/8 or f/11 would be something to aim for)
- Shoot with a tripod, if possible, for the sharpest image possible
- Look for strong shapes with clear separation and an uncluttered background. In the first dance image of Alyssa above, I was unable to completely get rid of the trees in the background but did get low to the ground so I’d have as little of them as possible.
- For close-ups of people, profiles make more striking images as you can see more details of their face.
- Tweak image in your image editor using Levels or Curves to punch up the darks and lights, increasing the contrast between the subject and background.
Silhouette subject ideas:
- Playing on the beach at sunset
- Dancing (as shown in my page of Alyssa above)
- Jumping in the air
- Playing sports
- Bridal couple exchanging vows or holding hands on a hillside at sunset
- Family all jumping at the same time
- Lone trees or flowers on horizon at sunset or sunrise
- Skylines of favorite cities
Experiment and have fun! Michelle
