How Do You Make This Shot Happen?

[MikeBookPro]

I saw this today, and I'm curious what settings would be required to get this shot.

(The first photo on this page.)

Tyrannosaurus rex footprint, Gaza kites, wandering bear | Reporting with a camera

Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[Josh66]

Pretty simple really...

Looks like she was standing in the shade. Focus on her, but expose for the background (which is in full sunlight). Since the background is so much brighter than the lady, you get a silhouette.

 

[benlonghair]

The siloette? Bright background, dark subject, meter off the background, focus on the subject. Maybe exposure comp down a little, but I doubt it, it's more about the light than the settings.

 

[Chris Stegner]

This is nothing more than a woman in a shadow on a very bright day. The background was exposed for which left the woman and her dog underexposed to the point of becoming totally black. This was shot on a day that has light that's typically hard to shoot in. Very bright with strong shows. Usually a pain in the rear.

 

[MikeBookPro]

Thanks, everyone. I love these types of shots, but my camera hasn't arrived yet, so I couldn't just go figure it out for myself. I appreciate it!

 

[bigtwinky]

If you were to expose for the woman instead of the background, you would have a properly exposed person with a really bright background.

Essentially, the background is bright the the foreground is dark. You can only chose to properly expose 1 of the 2 in a single shot.

If you chose to make the bright background properly exposed, the metering system will darken everything in the image to bring the background to a regular brightness. So as everything is being darkened, the woman because ever darker.

If you chose to make the dark foreground properly exposed, the metering system will decide that it has to brighten the entire image to ensure the woman is well exposed. As it brights up the brightness, what is already bright in the image will be even brighter.