What is a silhouette photo?

We all know a silhouette: the familiar black shadow that appears when there's too much backlight. Sometimes you want it deliberately, but usually this shadow appears unintentionally, especially when you shoot in automatic mode. In this article, we tell you everything about taking a silhouette photo and give you a few tips, so you can start taking the most beautiful photos.

What is a silhouette photo

A silhouette photo actually speaks for itself, but we'll briefly explain it anyway. A silhouette is a black shadow that appears when you're dealing with backlight. The silhouette is essentially a single black or grey area in which only the outline of the object is clearly visible. The lack of detail gives a photo much more tension. But how do you take a silhouette photo? Because everyone wants to take an exciting photo, right?

How to take a silhouette photo

We can't give you a written list of settings for taking silhouette photos. But we can tell you what to look out for to create a good silhouette. Focusing isn't very complicated with this kind of photo, as you simply focus on your main subject. What's more of a challenge is focusing on the transition from the main subject to the background. We'll give you a few tips to help you optimise the silhouette. By using a fast shutter speed and a small aperture, you can easily underexpose your photo so your silhouette shows less detail, and by choosing a low ISO, you create less noise in the black areas. Noise is quite noticeable in those black areas.

Silhouettes in the studio

There are of course many different ways to take silhouette photos: outdoors, in buildings or in the studio. But how do you do it in the studio, where there's no room for daylight? If you create enough backlight, it quickly becomes possible to create a silhouette. The light source should mostly come from behind your subject.

Tips for taking a silhouette photo

To help you get started, we've put together a number of tips. After reading them, it's time to practise and get going. After all, you only learn photography by doing it.

Background lighter than your subject

The most important thing when creating a silhouette is the contrast ratio between the background and the subject you want to capture. The background needs to be much lighter to create a silhouette. The easiest way is to start by taking photos against the (sun)light, with the sky as part of the background. The background doesn't always have to be the sky; also try a large lamp, screens or windows as a background. Oh, and don't forget underwater, that works too!

Create clear shapes

A successful silhouette loses a lot of detail. To keep the subject of your photo clear to viewers, however, it's important to keep an eye on a few things. Make sure the silhouette has a clear shape and the subject is recognisable. For example, make sure the silhouette stands out clearly from the background and doesn't merge with other dark parts of the photo.

Squint and visualise it

Wondering whether you've found the ideal situation for a photo? Then squint your eyes for a moment to judge even better whether the situation is really suitable. A camera has a limited dynamic range, which means it's less able to capture very light and very dark areas in one image. When we can still see the subject 'normally', a camera can't capture it as a silhouette.

When to take silhouette photos

Photography isn't possible without the right light, but what's the ideal time for taking silhouette photos? The beginning or the end of the day is often the most suitable. The sun is then low in the sky, so the sky is not too brightly coloured far above the ground. The sun's rays also come in horizontally, so part of the subject easily falls into shadow. Most of these photos are taken at sunrise or sunset.
But you can also still take great shots just after sunset. The hour after sunset is also called the blue hour. The sky doesn't turn black straight away, but the subject quickly becomes dark in the twilight. Ideal for silhouettes!

Post-processing for more contrast

Is it still too light for a good silhouette? Don't let that put you off, because you can strengthen the silhouette afterwards using Photoshop or Lightroom. In these programs, you can increase the contrast in the photo and/or make the dark tones even darker.

Adjusting the white balance

Besides the contrast and making your photo even darker, you can also play with the white balance. This gives your photo special colours and creative effects. These photos often consist of a limited number of colours: the subject is black/dark grey and the background (if it's a sky) has a limited range of colours.
When you adjust the white balance, you can make colours warmer or cooler, depending on what you want and what the photo needs. You can change the white balance while shooting or in post-processing (only if you shoot in RAW).

Silhouette as a frame

Want to bring even more creativity into your photos? Instead of making a silhouette of the subject, make a silhouette of the subject's surroundings. That way, you create a frame that draws attention to the subject, which is lit.

Avoid automatic mode

Creating silhouettes is extremely difficult for our cameras to get right. In automatic mode, the camera chooses a much slower shutter speed to brighten the underexposed parts after all. Your camera may also pop up the built-in flash to light the subject itself. So it's time to switch to shooting in manual mode. From then on, you can have a lot of influence on the silhouettes you capture.

Enough information and tips gathered, so head outside! Want to learn even more about how to take different kinds of photos or how to edit your photos? Take a look at our photography tips!