What do you need to know for capturing Silhouettes?

What is a Silhouette?

A Silhouette is a subject or object whose view is like a black outline against a light background. In other words, the subject or object is considered extremely under-exposed. The best part about Silhouettes is these are easily achievable. You’ll be able to understand better after having a look at my captures. So wait till the end of this blog post for that 🙂

Why should you have Silhouettes in your captures?

Using silhouettes in your images help capture a lot of emotion and drama, which would be difficult to achieve otherwise. They make your captures exciting. Whenever you try to use Silhouettes, it will force you to make use of your creativity and imagination power!

Camera Settings for shooting Silhouettes

Depth of Field –

Make sure you use a small aperture (f/11 or f/16) because both your subject and background should be sharp.

2. ISO & Shutter Speed –

ISO should be lowest so that you don’t get a grainy capture. You can try to get enough light in your capture by testing what shutter speed will be the right one for your image.

3. Focus –

Make sure your focus is on the subject, that you would be planning to use as a Silhouette.

Points to remember while shooting Silhouettes?

Best Time to shoot – early mornings and evenings.
Subject – choose a subject which is appealing and its contours should be well-defined.
Light – Light should come from the background of the capture.
Tripod – Not Mandatory (I’ve got decent Silhouettes captures without using tripod).
Examples of Silhouette Subjects – Trees, People, Statues, Mountains.
Flash – Flash should be turned off.
Background – The background should be well exposed (good light conditions) so that your subject can be seen as under exposed.