Photographing Silhouettes: 

What is a Silhouette?

• dark shape/outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background. Especially in dim light where the object is usually black. 

Silhouette photography has always been a favorite of mine.  Silhouettes convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood all within a photo.  It leaves viewers with a running imagination by accentuating curves, lines and shapes.

What is the difference between a Silhouette & Shadow?

Silhouettes are images of a subject, depicting their outlines across a light source.  Shadows form when the subjects obstructs flow of light and subjects outline falls on a solid surface.

A few famous movies where a silhouette was present:

• Opening credits for James Bond films
• Psycho- famous gruesome shower scene
• E.T.- flying the bicycle in front of the white full moon
• Disney's Peter Pan while flying in front of the Big Ben Wall Clock Tower 
• Disney's Fantasia as the orchestra plays their instruments with rainbow accents in the background

 ALWAYS SHOOT IN MANUAL

• Set your aperture (f-stop) for 8.0 or higher for two reasons: 1) You want a large depth of field, so that all of the details are in focus; 2) To reduce the amount of chromatic aberration that often comes with shooting into the sun.

• Increase your shutter speed.

• Keep your ISO as low as possible.

Landscapes/Photography: Low Key Lighting

• Best time is early in the day or late at night when the sun is low in the sky (rising or setting)
• Chose a strong subject
• Turn off the flash
• Get settings/light correct
• Frame the image
• Make silhouette shapes distinct & uncluttered
• Manual mode preference
• Patience
• Post processing final edits.

Land of the Free

3's a Crowd Jump

Trix

Tunnel Vision

All photo rights Celisse Elaine Photography

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