Oakland, CA – Capturing Captivating Silhouette Photos in Seven Easy Steps

Do you want to capture amazing silhouette photos? Here is how you can do it.

Do you want to add some extra mood and drama to an otherwise boring and bland photograph? If your answer is yes, silhouette photography is the thing for you. A mysterious subject with a dark outline in front of a dark colored background can be extremely captivating. Furthermore, it draws the viewer towards itself, thus adding meaning to the picture. Here are seven ways to take captivating silhouette photos.

Choose Your Subjects Well and Position Them Properly

The subject you choose for your silhouette photography should be unique yet identifiable. If you are capturing a group photo, the people in your picture should be far enough from one another so that they stand out. If people stand too close to one another, the picture will look boring and bland. It is better to go for simpler compositions, which have wide open backgrounds.

Ensure that the Light Is Coming From Behind

When capturing silhouette photos, you must forget some of the most common lighting rules. In silhouette photography, the light should always come from behind the subject. Therefore, the best time to capture a silhouette photograph is right before sunset or at sunset. If you take pictures during this time, you can get ample amount of contrast.

Use Manual Mode

The best way to capture beautiful silhouette pictures is to capture them in a manual mode. Your goal is to expose the background light instead of the subject. Always aim for a smaller aperture, thus getting a comprehensive shot. Also, the depth of your field should be large, but not lower than f/8. For better results, initially start with a low ISO.

Use an Auto Mode

If you are using an auto mode as opposed to a manual mode, you will use the same principles of light metering for appropriate exposure. Doing the same thing on an auto camera can be tricky, unless you play your cards right. To get the right shot, point the camera in the brightest part of your background. Doing so, you must press your shutter half-way.

Keep a Sharp Focus

As discussed above, the focus of your silhouette should be sharp. If the focus isn’t sharp enough, the entire focus will mesh together. Therefore, the picture will appear soft, and the silhouette will not have sharp edges. If you have a DSLR, set it on manual focus.

Use the Right Gear

For the best silhouette shot, it is better to use a manual camera. This will enable you to control the ISO, shutter speed and aperture. But it is always better to a have a fixed lowlight lens. The lens will easily capture the light, which is barely visible to the naked eye. Also, for absolute balance, use a tripod stand.

Enhance Pictures Post Processing

When you are capturing a picture, there are certain shortcomings that you can’t get rid of. Those shortcomings need to be troubleshooted in the post-processing stage. You can adjust the contrast, clarity and shadows after you take the pictures.

We hope that this guide helps you take amazing silhouette photos.

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