Set your camera to take stunning silhouettes.
There's something about a silhouette that draws an audience in and provides a nostalgic feel. The featureless subjects leave more to the imagination and almost allow the viewer to inject themselves into the moment. Photographing a dramatic silhouette takes patience, planning, and a good idea of how your camera works. Once you've determined a strong subject and framed it perfectly, you must ensure that the light is right and your settings are correct so that you don't miss that crucial moment that will likely make an excellent photograph.
Instructions
1. Make sure your subject is backlit, meaning the main light source is behind them. If you are outdoors, this would be the sun . If you are indoors, this would be a lamp or photography strobe or constant. Get creative and look for additional sources of backlighting. Light streaming in from a window, a flashlight, a television, or computer monitor in a darker room are all good sources and can add an interesting dimension to your photography. Also look for specific colors in your backlighting to add a specific mood to your silhouettes.
2. Use your camera to expose for the light source instead of the subject. Since the light source is behind the subject, exposing for the light source will cause your subject to go dark, effectively creating a silhouette. This will work better in the manual mode on your camera, since you have more control over your settings. Start with a baseline aperture and shutter speed and then adjust your shutter speed until your silhouette is perfect. To get a baseline aperture and shutter, switch your camera to auto mode and note the aperture and shutter speed it recommends for your particular scene. If your camera does not have spot metering, you'll have to trick your camera into thinking it is getting the correct exposure, so it doesn't try and brighten the subject, which is the silhouette. You can do this by focusing your camera on the brightest part of the scene and pushing the shutter button down halfway until you hear audio confirmation that the focus and exposure has been locked. Then, bring your subject back into frame and fully depress the shutter button to take the picture.
3. Set your camera's metering system to spot, if its available. Direct the focus point of your camera at the light source and press the shutter button halfway. Recompose and frame your picture, then fully press the shutter button to take your picture. This is similar to the process in Step 2, but it should be easier to accomplish since the camera is only metering a small part of the frame, rather than the frame as a whole. Alternatively, check your camera's auto function modes for a silhouette mode to simplify the process.
4. Think before shooting and get all the details right. Make sure your background is bright enough and that the subject for your silhouette is clear and well defined. Check your scene from different angles and viewpoints to make it more eye-catching and to draw the audience into the subject. Even though you may have a strong silhouette of a couple, consider just getting their held hands or placing them in the corner of your image, rather than dead center.
Tags: your camera, light source, shutter button, aperture shutter, shutter speed, your subject