You have probably heard this a million times, but the secret behind great photographers is that htey have developed an eye for lighting.  Watching the sun at different times of the day and how it reflects form walls, on plants, on someone’s face etc.

This also rings very true when trying to take photos of silhouettes.  A photo with a bright background and only an outline of a person or subject matter.  The key is to make sure your subject is in front of a bright background and then using your camera and setting the exposure to expose for the brightest part of the photo.

This will ensure that your subject matter is dark and only shows the outline with a well exposed background.  This can make for very eye catching, dramatic photos.  The kind which will make you look twice.

Don’t you just love this photo!   Roedean private girls school in South Africa commissioned us to do these silhouette photographs for them as part of redoing the image of the school as well as for their new marketing campaign for 2010.  Our aim was to capture girls silhouetted indifferent parts of the school so as to signify that it could be any girl at this magnificent school.

Roedean school os full of heritage, this school has existed for more than 100 years and they just have a historical tale for just about everything in this school.  It is such a privilege for Louise and I to be part of this heritage and share in everything they stand for.

In photography you will always be really good at some area or another, be it photographing people, cars or food.  The others you will just have to work that little bit harder.  So my advice to anyone trying to capture great silhouette photos is to never stop experimenting.  PS-Time of day is also a very important factor.  The sun needs to be very low in the sky (early morning or late afternoon) to help make your photographic journey a little bit easier!

Riani

Choosing a wedding photographer is one of the most important parts of planning a wedding. Unlike the flowers which will wilt and the dresses that will be tucked away, the photographs will last forever. This is why it is so important that you have a clear idea of what kind of pictures they want before they even meet with the wedding photographer. This will help them to know right away if a photographer meets their guidelines or not.

Do not book a photographer over the phone; you must see the wedding photographer’s portfolio. Their portfolio will show you the style of work they normally shoot in. If you want strictly formal set ups and the photographer shows you several artistic photographs, it probably is not a good fit. It might be helpful to invite another friend or family member to meet the wedding photographer as well. Show them your list of guidelines so they can follow them with you. When choosing the type of photography you want, consider if you want casual shots of friends and family, or if you want only formal shots. Make a list of the groups you want to be photographed, including special photographs that might not involve the wedding party. Is an old friend coming from overseas? Is your high school badminton team coming to your wedding? If you forget photographs you want it will make the big day more stressful.

Place yourself in the photographs you see in the wedding photographer’s portfolio. If these were the photos you took home, would you be happy? Look for variety. If all the shots the wedding photographer shows you are close up this is a bad sign. Check the edges and background in the photographs and make sure the set ups are clean even. If you have photographs you like, take them in to show the photographer.

Ask the wedding photographer for their credentials and how long the have been doing wedding photography. If the wedding photographer has LBIPP, ABIPP or FBIPP after their name then they are professionally qualified. Ask about how they handle changes in weather, and find out if they are familiar with your venue. Ask about the event of your photographs being ruined and see if they have Professional Indemnity Insurance cover.

Less is more!  Less light?! Absolutely…    Low key lighting is perhaps my favorite style of studio lighting. There’s just something about the mood and drama that is created when you have a dark background with the subject standing out against it. Combine this lighting with some creative and dramatic posing and you have the power to create images that will be cherished for generations – Tim Solley

I read this somewhere on the internet and I thought HEY that is exactly the way I feel about low-key images!

Low-key lighting creates an effect called the chiaroscuro effect.  Which is basically the subtle changes in shade between light and dark.  Here is an example of a traditional black and white photography, low-key lighting design called the three point setup:

—————————————————  -Background

                          ^                      - Backlight

                         o_o                     -Subject

^^^                                              -Key light

                                         ^^       -Fill light

At the back we have the backlight to create a rimlight around the subject and to lift them out of the background, used especially when your subject is wearing dark clothing. 

  The KEY-light is placed to the one side of the subject approximitely 45 degrees to one side of your subject then fine tune it from there to suit your tastes.  Low key lighting usually consists of lowering the KEY-light to above the subjects eyeline to throw a triangle of light onto the other side of the face just to soften the effect a bit.  Especially when photographing women and their children, photos with men tend to be harder ie. light only on one side of the face withou the triangle spilling over.

Fill lighting is used when you dont want your photograph to be too contrasty and need to have a little bit of detail in the shdaow areas.  For instance when your photographing a pregnant woman you want to accentuate her lovely tummy but it’s nice to have a little bit of detail on the rest of her body.

Me myself, I’m not a big fan of using more than one light for my low-key photography as I find this complicates matters especially when you have llimited space available in your studio.  I prefer using only one light which will be used exactly the same as the KEY light mentioned above.

But always remember, nothing is set in stone, photography is about being creative.  I read some wise words:’Learn the rules so that you know how to break them properly’ and I live by it

Riani