Photographing Silhouettes

One basic rule of photography is to never place your subject directly in front of the sun. However, an effective silhouette breaks that rule. With an eye for opportunity and proper technique, silhouettes can make stunning and rewarding photographs.

Opportunity. The key to a great silhouette is finding the perfect opportunity. Keep your eyes open for the perfect silhouette location. A silhouette opportunity occurs when the light behind the subject is brighter than the light falling on it. This most often happens in the daylight when the outdoor light is greater. The greatest chance for success is outside at sunrise and sunset. For more color in the sky, shoot at dawn or dusk.

The most common light source for a silhouette will be the sun. Be aware, though, of other situations where a light source is placed directly behind your subject. Outside at night, my daughter’s silhouette was captured due to the lit-up water fountain behind her.

Indoors during the day, a dolphin’s silhouette was captured due to daylight shining into the stadium from behind the dolphin.

Technique. The greatest challenge with silhouettes is proper exposure. To determine proper exposure, position your subject between the light source and your camera.

• Take your light reading from the highlight area. Your subject will become severely underexposed and become darker.


• Another way to determine proper exposure is to meter the sky, then the subject. The difference in the two numbers would be the proper silhouette exposure.


• Bracketing the exposure will also increase your chances of a good silhouette.


• If flare is a problem, position the sun immediately behind the subject.


• Also consider your subject. Simple subjects make better silhouettes. Uncluttered backgrounds will also create a more effective silhouette.

So, go ahead and break the rules! Watch for silhouette opportunities and take advantage of them for a different and creative photograph.

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