One of the things I love most about photography is the possibility to turn any obstacle into something totally different, where our team does not arrive, either because of lack of focus, lack of sensor sensitivity or lack of light, there is always one way or another, not only to fix it, but to take advantage of the error as an advantage. This is the case of silhouettes, which occur simply because the sensors of our cameras are not able to process lights with more than 5 without difference (dynamic range), and leads us to choose, in situations of high light contrast, between correctly exposing lights or shadows.
This could be a disadvantage, and is often the case, of having to use techniques such as bracketing or bracketing to solve it, but it also offers us countless opportunities to unleash our creativity. Don’t you believe me? Well, do I leave you some inspiration in the form of silhouettes so you can open your mouth?
- The silhouettes are not exclusive to sunrises or sunsets.
- But they are good allies.
- Since not only do we have contrasting scenes between lights and shadows.
- But we also have photogenic skies that add interest to our image.
The misty scenarios give us more dreamlike or mysterious images. If we also add silhouettes to the recipe, you can get images like this.
There is always a story behind an image, if you manage to transmit it, your image will not only be beautiful or correct, but it will also be interesting for anyone who observes it.
When we strip the image of all information and colors, the shape becomes more important. That our silhouettes are recognizable is generally essential for the image to have meaning for the viewer.
To add interesting elements to your silhouette images, try working in different settings. The water and reflections projected on it can help you complete your image.
Taking care of the composition when working with such formal scenes is essential, in this case the odd number rule (a group of 3 and another group of 1) is applied to add visual interest to the image.
Not only do you have to pay attention to your figure, but to everything around it and complete it. Look at the image below, a sky full of stars to enhance this beautiful image.
Not only do you just photograph static elements or situations, moving scenes or where you sit, but they can give you images like the following.
The more you strip the original image of the elements, the more primitive, formal, and symbolic it becomes. Watch the incredible mix of sunset, symbols and silhouettes you have in the next scene.
Don’t men or women live alone in human silhouettes? You can also use them in your landscapes to highlight the silhouette of the mountains or anything else you think is worth pressing the shutter.
Your forest tours can go a long way, not only to refresh your lungs or practice macrophotography, but to get images like this.
As with black and white photography, taking care of the composition of our silhouettes is essential, the rule of thirds, that of the gaze or that of the horizon, will be very useful when composing your silhouettes.
Forced perspective gives us impossible images like this, with it you can catch a plane, the sun or the moon, make a dog eat your best friend or anything else you can think of, it’s all about perspective.
While it is true that you can photograph silhouettes of anything, the human element is naturally attractive to the human eye, and when it comes to images with relatively little information, the human silhouette usually works very well.
Yes, I know, you know, that light in photography is everything, especially when we talk about silhouettes or non-light against the light that envelops them and allows them to exist. Getting a silhouette is relatively easy, the trick for a good silhouette image. is to control ambient light. It’s that light that’s going to make all the difference.
Silhouettes are a focus on themselves and a good opportunity to test your minimalist compositions.
If you have a good perspective on your city, the emblematic elements of its architecture or skyline can be great protagonists of your silhouette images.
You don’t find them every day, that’s true, but if you are lucky enough to meet a group or one of them, curiously they are a very photogenic subject against the light.
Sometimes, by slightly varying the point of view from which we take the image, we can add a lot of interest to the images.
If you were lucky enough to have been chosen as your best friend’s official wedding photographer, don’t forget to include such an image in your report?Pretty, isn’t it?
Don’t forget to play with depth of field as you would any other image, a shallow depth of field in the image will help you isolate your silhouette or, on the contrary, you can choose to play with a great depth of field to integrate it (closed diaphragms) into the background.
Didn’t you want to run away to photograph silhouettes? The truth is, so am I. The photography is wonderful, and the more resources you have, the more you will press the script in front of you, so I really hope that these 21 images have inspired you, if so please share it so that this article arrives as many people as possible. Thank you and soon ?.