– BPSOP Instructor: Scott Stulberg
Most of the time when we are photographing, we’re thinking about the perfect exposure. We don’t want to underexpose or overexpose our images but we especially want the main subject to have the right exposure. But not often enough do we think about silhouetting the main subject or even the majority of the image, which can result in an extremely powerful photograph. Sometimes, we can end up with something even more powerful than if the main subject had plenty of light on it.
Often, I’m out and about looking for subjects that I can shoot in silhouette and this can be almost any kind the subject and it can also be during the day or night. It’s easier than you think and usually your cameras exposure works in your favor because it tries to expose for the light area of the image and give you a correct exposure and more often than not this results in a perfect silhouette in areas that you want dark. It’s actually easier than you think to create a stunning silhouette!
The first nine images are all silhouettes with people in them in different places around the world and under different lighting situations. All of them are extremely backlit, mostly by the sun although the fourth image I used a light and a fog machine and had my friend light a cigarette to make the shot even more powerful. Images 7 through 10 were all done during my Burma workshops where I really push my students to look for powerful silhouettes because many places on the globe really lend themselves to unique, one of a kind silhouettes. Previsualizing what would look great very dark, against a bright background, is often the first step toward getting a very rewarding silhouette.
The second set of nine images are also in diverse locations including some showing animals in silhouette and even the night sky which I love shooting all over the world. Silhouettes can be almost anything and almost anywhere as long as you have something interesting as the main focal point and a bright background.
A good example is in the first image above of my wife on horseback in Costa Rica. On the beach at sunset, I knew that by shooting her riding on horseback in front of the sun, that my camera would correctly expose the beautiful orange sunset and anything in the foreground would be totally black. That’s exactly what I got and it’s easy to predict these things and come up with something that’s different and unique.
These images are all diverse but have one thing in common. The main subject is black with no detail but the background is much brighter, making your subject stand out. Using the sun or bright light to your advantage is just another way to think different and set yourself apart from others. It’s all about thinking outside of the box and trying to end up with an image that has stopping power!
– BPSOP Instructor: Scott Stulberg
Scott Teaches:
Eye to Eye: Capturing the Face
