How to do Silhouette Photography in 4 Steps

How to Do
Silhouette Photography

HELLO
My name is Kueh Lapis.
I share the passion for photography by
giving free presentations. You can find
me @kuehlapis

That's what I'll be. A silhouette, rarely
seen, and yet believed in.
- Ellen Hopkins

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
• A decent camera – DSLR
or mirrorless.
• Flash, if you intend to
shoot indoors.
• Neutral Density & Circular
Polarizer filter – Good to
have if you shoot
outdoors.
• A copy of Photoshop

THE BASIC IDEA
• Silhouette photography is easy to create.
• Just place your subject against a bright background.
• Keep as little light on the subject as possible.

STEP 1) CHOOSE SUBJECT
• Subjects are not just people.
They can be animals, trees,
buildings and just about
anything.
• Make sure that your subject
has a distinct shape -
silhouette does not capture
details.

STEP 2) CHOOSE STAGE
• Outdoors – Shooting against
a bright sky is your best bet
in an open area.
• Indoor – Bright doors and
windows are your best bets.
• Indoor – Alternatively, you
can blast a flash on a white
wall to create a bright
background.

STEP 3A) CAMERA SETTINGS - MANUAL
• These are “generic settings” – Use as a reference only, you have
to determine your own “best settings”.
• Aperture – f/5.6 or more. You need to capture depth of field.
• Shutter speed – Open factor. Just fast enough to prevent blur.
• ISO – As low as possible, keep the noise down.
• Shoot in RAW.

STEP 3B) CAMERA SETTINGS - AUTO
• Set metering to “spot“ or “centered”.
• Point a bright spot, press and hold exposure lock.
• Switch focus point back to subject.
• Focus and take the picture.

STEP 4) SHOOT AND CHIMP
• Revise your photo on the spot.
• Adjust your settings if required.
• Better to get it right on the spot, than to regret later.

TIP 1) BACKGROUND INTEREST
• An empty background will
pronounce the subject.
• But sometimes, having some
background interest will add
on to the photo as well.
• Trees, waterfalls, windmills,
etc… They can be a good
addition.

TIP 2) ACTION!
• Silhouette photography is not
all about boring static pieces
of rocks and people.
• Jump, run or throw some
stuff around.

TIP 3) BRACKETING – LAZY SHOOTING
• You can use negative
bracketing to quickly help
you get silhouettes.
• Not the film age anymore –
You don’t have to worry
about running out of film.

THANK YOU!
For the full guide and more tips on
Silhouette Photography, please visit –
http://xlightphotography.com/how-todo-silhouette-photography/