Sihouettes

tsilver

What is the best way to shoot a silhouette (indoor, by a natural light source, or outdoor) on this camera?

I have the 18-55mm lens right now (I will be getting the 35mm f/1.8 as per your advice, but not for another few weeks).

Thanks!

bruto

For a silhouette, you're best off with a background that's brighter than the subject. Backlighting helps. Try not to have much direct light on the subject. If you can get a lighted window behind the subject the meter may give you a silhouette whether you want it or not. Outdoor silhouetting is pretty easy, to the point that it's often harder to avoid it than to get it.

Exposure should be compensated in the - direction.

Shoot in Raw mode, and you can reduce exposure by up to two stops in post. When you do it this way, you get the added benefit of reducing noise a little.

Here's a silhouette done by setting the camera to spot meter and back button focus. Focus was on subject, and when slightly recomposed, spot meter read the sky.

http://jmp.sh/PgoHOTH

edit to add: 55-300mm lens at 55mm, spot meter, AFC back button focus, ISO 200, f/4.4, shutter 1/400, Aperture priority mode.

bruto

By the way, I should mention that this situation was ideal for extreme contrast shooting. We were inside a park gazebo on a sunny day. The very same conditions led to a high key shot in which the subject was metered and the background completely blown:

http://jmp.sh/dYPDb03

edit to add: 55-300mm lens at 65mm, spot meter, AFC back button focus, shutter speed 1/15, aperture 6.3, Aperture priority mode. Meter spotted on face, about 1/2 stop darkening in post.