Backlight Silhouette is a category of photography with dark subjects that stand out against a light background, which makes the subject stand out and gives a very strong feeling.
Silhouettes are the most commonly used photography style in wedding photos, portraits and landscapes. Silhouettes (shadows) are when your subject appears as a dark shape in front of a light background. . It’s a fairly simple technique and gets you in the right place at the right time with the right equipment and knowledge of how to use it. Here are some things to keep in mind for you to get a perfect backlit image of Silhouettes
Usually beautiful Silhouette images are captured images of the subject, the background is bright and homogeneous, and the most beautiful are usually taken at dawn or dusk.
Once on a standing Buddha image (Hue), while waiting for my wife to come in to burn incense, I sat on a stone bench and pulled the device out and shot around. Seeing that, a photographer walked up to me and asked me to stand at the foot of the statue and show me the glory. At the moment, there is only a kit in my hand, I’m sorry that I cannot have a wider angle. The strange thing is that it is only standing in that position to see this halo, just moving 2-3 steps is no longer seen.
What really makes a silhouette stand out are the lighting and the frame. When preparing for a photo shoot, think about locations that will show good shadow opportunities when the light is right. You will want to place your subject in front of a bright, wide background. Ideally, the light source will be right behind your subject.
Choose a time
The best time of day to take pictures right before sunrise or at sunset. Light at these times will create a situation where your subject is well lit and there will be a contrast between the sky and your subject.
There are times when you cannot place your subject on the horizon and use the sky as a bright background. Fortunately, there is another way to create a silhouette. You need an assistant or illuminator and an off-camera flash with a remote trigger. Examples are Canon Speedlites and Pocket Wizards. Ask your assistant to hold the flash behind your subject or place your light standing right behind your subject, and your task is to capture. This technique is very interesting and creative but needs a bit of time and equipment to support.
How to set up your camera?
For this type of backlit photography, it is important that you let yourself break the ‘lighting rules’. Instead of properly exposing the light on your subject’s face on the front, as usual, you will need to properly expose the light in the background.
You will need a camera that allows you to change aperture, ISO and shutter speed. Shooting in manual mode will allow you to control these settings to achieve the desired look.
When possible, use a small aperture (high number) so that your subject and most of everything else displayed in the image will be in focus. You want a large depth of field. However, try not to go lower than f / 8. If you are using a larger aperture, make sure that your subject is in focus – which is extremely important for shadow shots. .
Start with your low ISO for best quality but increase as needed and when light decreases when the sun goes down.
Finally, set your shutter speed to match the exposure you are aiming for. You will need to use an additional tripod if the shutter speed is slower than the length of the lens you are using. Otherwise, your image will be blurred with camera shake. And don’t forget if your camera has a flash on it, turn it off.