focal length: 44 mm
shutter speed: 1/5000
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
flash: none
I haven’t done a lot of silhouette shots in a while so when I took this lovely couple out for a shoot (my sister and bro-in-law) I tried a bit of sunset lovin’. To get this effect, I metered for the sky, which effectively underexposed my subjects. The positive space (subjects) became the negative space, which, as you can see, still has matter. I think next time I try this, I might want to use a smaller aperture for a crisp horizon line and a slower shutter speed to balance that.
What a sweet couple!
Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.
[n.] a resource for parents who wish to take sweeter pics of their kids.
Copyright © 2009 Dolce Pics. All rights reserved.
renee @ FIMBY
Oct 30, 2008 at 8:53 am
very nice shot. Thanks for the tips. I took a sunset silhouette shot of some wildflowers that I am quite pleased with, one of my favorites this fall.
http://fimby.tougas.net/worship_photography
leaca
Oct 30, 2008 at 9:28 am
cute shot.
melissa
Oct 30, 2008 at 10:45 am
hi there! I love this photo and the silhouette idea but am also a bit embarrassed to ask this question… I don’t know how you go about metering for different areas, such as the sky.
I have the Nikon D80….is there an easy way to explain metering for something other than your main subject?
laura
Oct 30, 2008 at 11:28 am
@Melissa: Hi there! Welcome to Dolce Pics! To answer your question, in this case, I would use spot metering and take my reading from the sky, set my exposure manually, focus on my subject and shoot. If you shoot with aperture priority mode (A), you can use your AE-L (auto-exposure lock). Just point your spot meter to the sky, hold the AE-L button, recompose, focus then shoot. AE-L locks in the settings your camera chooses to expose for the sky. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask again. I hope that helps!
There are other ways to do this as well, depending on your shooting style.
ELK
Oct 30, 2008 at 11:39 am
laura ~this is stunning~HLT!
robin laws
Oct 30, 2008 at 12:32 pm
i haven’t been back for two weeks to visit (i had much better intentions than that) so i am glad to at least end up here for LT Laura!
Jamie
Oct 30, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Oh my goodness! This is so beautiful and oozes love. I’ve been trying to figure out how I would take a silhouette picture for a while now. You have re-inspired me to try again. Maybe I’ll use this concept for my greeting cards this year!
Christina
Oct 30, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Laura, this is perfectly divine! It’s full of love and emotion - what a treasure! I adore silhouettes, and this is exquisite. I am so excited to see you branch out and share your talent. You are awesome!
killlashandra
Nov 3, 2008 at 10:28 am
That’s simple lovely!