Silhouette Photography Tips and Examples

You can add a little drama to your pictures by photographing subjects in silhouette. Silhouette photography entails the removal of detail and texture in a scene resulting in a simple, bold shape on a bright background. So how exactly are silhouette images taken? If you want to broaden your knowledge in this subject. Darren Rowse at Digital Photography School has some very helpful tips on how to shoot silhouettes titled, How to Photograph Silhouettes in 8 Easy Steps. This tutorial details the areas that need to be considered when shooting in silhouettes as well as some techniques such as metering and exposure. Basically, when aiming for silhouettes, you have to put your subject (the shape you want to be blacked out) in front of some source of light and to force your camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of your picture (the background) and not the subject of your image. Sunrise and sunset provide excellent silhouette lighting, with the clouds adding texture and interest to the sky. It is also possible to get some great silhouettes against harsh sunlight, or even artificial lighting.

You do not need a digital SLR camera to take silhouette photos. Yes, you can also use your point and shoot to take beautiful silhouettes. Just always remember to turn off your flash!

To get you inspired in shooting your silhouette photos, here are 25 excellent examples of silhouette photography taken by professional photographers. Make sure to check each link provided below each preview image to view the high-resolution version of these images and get the technical specifications and the stories behind each shot. More pictures can also be viewed from the portfolio of each photographer. We encourage you to browse through their portfolio for more inspiring photographs. Enjoy!

If you like this post, then please also checkout our related posts on Photography tips and tutorials:

• Lomo Photo Effects Tutorials
• Light Painting Photos
• How to Take HDR Photos
• Selective Coloring in Photoshop

01- Symphony of Colors

02-Two Cops, Two Bikes

03- Felicidad

04- Ski
It was windy up top, and the spray created some great shapes against the sun…

05- Silhouette Shooter

06- Luis and the Balloons

07- End of the Day

08- World’s Favorite Sport

09- Whitechapel, London, England

10- Sunrise Paddling on the North Canadian River

11- Snow has Gone

12- Beach Hammock

13-Young Photographer

14- Siamesina

15- Bay Bridge Silhouette

16-Star Jump

17- In a Different Light

18- Sunset Silhouette

19- Net Work

20- Cable Beach Sunset

21- The Seam Seeker

22- Tangerine Dream

23- She Takes Her Shoes Off To Dance

24- Follow the Light

25- Symphony of Colors

Backlighting in photography has other uses other than creating silhouettes.  Using correct techniques and camera settings, you will be able to shoot translucent objects and hair lights. If you are interested, check out our previous post about backlighting in photography.

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