The best time of the year to take this shots is during the fall, since the position of the sun is lower, and it will allow you to keep the sun on that position for longer.
All you need to do is to place your subject in front of a very bright light source so they are in the shadow. Meter and lock the sky’s exposure in Aperture Priority Mode with the subject out of the frame, then recompose and take the shot. If you are shooting manual you can get even more creative, underexposing for 1 or 2 stops can deepen shadows and create very dramatic images.
Be aware of merging shapes: you want to make sure that your silhouettes are not merging with other ones. For example a person walking and his shape getting mixed with a street pole.In some cases this merging can work to your advantage, for example a couple’s silhouettes showing their individual shapes but merging in some areas can convey the message of togetherness.
As for composition make sure you locate yourself where the sun or your light source are strong. Is better if you spot meter as its more accurate, meter off the brightest cloud or lightest point in the sky. Check your histogram and ensure you are skewing to the left reflecting more and deeper shadows.
You have to be careful and be creative on your skies, sometimes with these technique they can be flat and lose their punch, is recommended the use of some sort of color filter on the camera, or work around this on the digital darkroom.
Some creative ideas for silhouettes
Shoot indoors: places like churches can create great images, source your light from a colorful stained glass window.
Fill the frame with a full silhouette shape, as the sky can get flat a more complex shape will make the image more interesting
Keep the silhouettes simple, people need to recognize them right away, otherwise people will lose interest
Here is an example: (this was meter off from the outer light from the sun)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment