Photographs featuring silhouettes are some of the most whimsical and impactful shots around—just think how many of these photos you’ve seen featured on inspirational posters or in other attention-grabbing areas.
When photographers snap a picture of a dark subject against a bright sky or background, the subject is often captured as only a black object.
This creates a drastic, high-contrast outline of the subject’s shape against the background, making for a high-interest and artistic shot.
This effect is what we call a “silhouette.”
The ability to expertly capture silhouette photos is anchored in a good understanding of light and composition.
- Pick a good subject
Subjects with a standout shape and distinct lines make for the best silhouettes.
That’s not to say that you can’t shoot any subject you choose, but you may benefit from playing with angles that emphasize the most characteristic outline of your subject’s shape so that it is recognizable.
- Light from the back
The only way that silhouette photography will work is by lighting the subject from the back. Yes, we know this breaks the traditional rules of photography lighting best practice!
Direct your shot so that the brightest light is illuminating the subject from behind. For the best results, try this during sunset or sunrise.
- Disable flash
To piggy-back off our previous lighting tip, we recommend that you leave your external flash at home for this type of photography.
Any light hitting the subject from the front (including flash) will diminish the stark contrast between dark silhouette outline and bright background.
See? Silhouettes aren’t so difficult to capture after all, so don’t stress and have fun with the opportunity!
