Shooting Silhouettes

We rarely see silhouettes with our eyes in normal daily life, but when we see one in a picture we know immediately what we are looking at. Silhouettes are exciting, and when everything falls into place we can tell almost as much about the subject as we could were it lit. What I like about them so much is that they are the ordinary shown in an extraordinary way – and that gets the viewer’s attention.

Silhouettes are easy enough to create – all you need is a good bit of tonal contrast between the subject and its background. If the subject is unlit and the background is bright you have the beginnings of a recipe for success.

Next you need the subject to have an interesting shape – a shape that demonstrates action, motion or which gives away something that we can’t clearly see. A person with an interesting hat works well, for example, or big hair – or anything that is recognisable from its outline. Then expose for the background so the unlit subject becomes nice and dark. It doesn’t need to be black to work, as a good bit of tonal separation is all that’s really needed.

Let’s see some exciting shots made with all your imagination in action.

You have until mid-night on the 21st July – so get thinking and practicing.

The prize

The winner this time will receive a Lowepro Hardside CS 60 rugged carry case designed for small cameras and lenses. It’s tough EVA FormShell exterior protects the contents of the case from knocks and bumps, and is small enough to drop into another bag to keep your precious kit away from sharp edges and hard items.

The interior measures 11x6x19.5cm, so it will hold a Lumix GX9, for example, or a collection of Micro Four Lenses, while an additional compartment can be used to store accessories, batteries and spare memory cards.

For more information on this case and others see the Lowepro website.

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