How to take silhouette shots using digital photography

Are you interested in taking silhouette shots with your digital camera?Silhouettes are a great way to add drama and emotion to your photographs.They also add a nice "artsy" touch to your work!There are a couple of steps which you can follow to help you take silhouette shots using digital photography.Here are the main steps which should help you capture great silhouettes:

1. Place the subject of your painting in front of a light source:There are different light sources that you can use to give good silhouettes.Your choice of light source really depends on the subject matter, size, and "feeling" that you intend from your photograph.Some light sources that you could use are: candles, fire, electric lights (like a light bulb or lamp), or the sun.Sometimes cloudy skies are bright enough that a figure can look dark when juxtaposed against the sky.The sky also is bright enough to cast silhouettes at sunrise and sundown, which is another option you could consider.
2. Force your camera to set its exposure on the brightest part of the picture.Remember, the brightest part of the picture should be the background behind the subject.This will create the silhouette form.
3. Turn off your flash:By having the flash on your digital camera, you will defeat the whole purpose of your silhouette shot!Remember, you don't want the subject to be illuminated by the flash - you want it to appear dark.Usually the icon to turn off the flash on a digital camera is a zig-zag arrow that has a circle/slash "NO" symbol going through the arrow.You can push this button to turn off the flash of your digital camera.
4. Make silhouetted shapes distinct:If you are taking a picture of a whole bunch of different subjects, you will want to make sure that their forms are each distinct and unique.If you have the silhouetted figures group together, it could end up looking like a big lump of darkness.You want people to be able to tell what the different shapes and shadows are. To do this, you might need to separate and place the subjects farther apart from each other, so that their forms and individual shapes are recognizable.
5. Keep your images in sharp focus:Part of the great effect with silhouettes is the stark contrast between dark and light.This contrast really becomes striking when the silhouettes are in sharp focus.
6. Be smarter than your digital camera:Many digital cameras are built with an "auto mode," which means that the camera automatically adjusts itself to the exposure levels and light when you push the shutter half-way down.This adjustment takes place the same time as when you camera focuses the image.What you need to do to get past the auto mode is to point your camera at the brightest part of your picture while you push the shutter halfway down.Then, without moving your finger from the shutter button, move your camera over to your silhouetted subject, and push the shutter the rest of the way down.This will make your subjects appear in a great shadow, because your camera will have been adjusted for the brighter auto level.
7. Try the manual mode: If the auto mode trick is not working to create your silhouetted images, you may need to switch to manual mode.If your silhouettes aren't dark enough when you take pictures on auto mode, you may need to manually adjust the shutter speed.Check to see what the shutter speed is on auto mode, and then slow it down a little bit.This might help you to create the great silhouetted images that you are looking for!