First Attempts on Some Silhouttes

Ah the mysterious silhouette! One of the few effects in photography that really intrigues me and what made me so interested in photography in the first place. We all love to see beautiful full color and light moments but what you don't see is equally as interesting as well. It gives of an allure of mystery and a lot of room for the viewer to imagine the details to the hidden shapes.

One of my first silhouettes was done at my cousin's wedding. Just starting off, I had no clue what I was doing but the results still turned out nice which made me happy none the less. Shooting close to windows and in front of the sun. To be honest I still don't understand how it works and what's the proper exposure technique but just asking the almighty Google and all questions will be be answered!

Here's a no nonsense guide to the basics

How to Photograph a Silhouette Portrait

I've also tried it in studio which turned out really cool. I thought it would be a challenge but in the end it wasn't so difficult. I basically lit up the background and used a very tiny fill for the front of the subject aka myself and got my desired silhouette! It needs some tweaking and adjusting of course but I'm definitely off to a good start! Next time is with producer Dr. Mad so I have to be prepared for some killer results.

And of course made a quick search on YouTube and found a tutorial by Jared Ploin's FroknowsPhoto featuring Zack Arias which really sped up the learning curve. These dude are just so chill...

So there you have it! My brief experience with the silhouette and some sources for all ya'll to check out! So get out there and try it for yourself. And you can send me the results you guys come up with. Practice practice practice till it's perfect...then practice some more!

KEEP SNAPPIN'

Chris From Manikmati Photography