silhouettes?

[ababysean]

I have been trying to get a Silhouette picture now for a while. I can never get it to work.
I've read, watched videos and feel I'm doing it as they show, but it never comes out.
Any tricks or tips?
I have a D3000.

 

[white]

Shoot toward the sun. Voila! Instant silhouette.

Just think it through. Shadows appear where there is no light. So use back-lighting and underexpose if need be.

 

[mwcfarms]

I have a couple on my blog that I took earlier this summer. I find that to learn first find a big enough subject to photograph and stand behind it with the sun facing towards you and practice practice. Bryan Peterson has a really good article in his book Understanding Exposure about frontlight, sidelight and backlight with examples.

 

[Taylor510ce]

Meter for the sky/backlight source and then underexpose just a little til you get the darkness wanted.

 

[ababysean]

ok so to meter for the sky, do I take a meter reading on dynamic or center or ???
and then get that reading and set it manual in the camera?
Is there a meter lock? I think it is AE-L but I don't understand how that button works? and yes, I did read the manual but I push it, hold it down, and nothing happens....

 

[KmH]

Other than the indicator turning on in the viewfinder, nothing is going to happen that you can see.

Your camera has 3 metering modes and how they work is explained on pg 74 of the D3000 users manual and I've looked the information up for you again:

1. Spot
2. Center-weighted
3. Matrix

Reading your manual, without striving for understanding, is useless.

As far as how the AE-L works it's very well explained in the manual, pg 75.

You position the subject in the selected focus point, press the shutter button half-way, press and hold the AE-L/AF-L button, while watching that the AE-L indicator appears in the viewfinder, keep holding the AE-L/AF-L button pressed as you recompose and shoot.

 

[Derrel]

You need the right kind of lighting conditions to begin with. Think early mornings and late afternoon into twilight time...the easiest time to get a silhouette is the first and last 45 minutes of light each day...locate yourself on one side of the shooting situation, the subject in the middle, and the sun on the opposite end of the sit'cy'a-shun, and Boom! Instant silhouetted lighting. Expose for the "bright tones", and not the shadows...

Here....here is an entire gallery I shot composed of about 85% silhouettes...

http://www.pbase.com/derrel/twilight_photos_by_derrel