Digital Photo Tip #39 By Bruce Kirkby May 1, 2008

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I was enamoured with the late-evening Yukon sun on the cliff walls, and when my friend discovered a final beer amidst the floating dregs in his cooler, I had my camera pre-set for silhouettes and managed to catch his spontaneous celebration.

Successfully shooting silhouettes depends on two things: 1) exposing for the background (by setting your exposure without anything in the foreground), then recomposing and 2) focusing on the foreground. This will create sharp edges on your silhouette and a soft, pleasing background.

Notice the subject has been placed slightly off-centre, creating asymmetry and dynamism. Centred subjects often look flat and boring.

Also, my friend’s hand is reaching out towards the open side of the viewfinder. Images are more powerful when the subject is looking, walking or reaching towards an open space, rather than towards the edge of the frame.

Soft light (in morning or evening) and hazy conditions (fog, or in this case, forest fire smoke) will often create a featureless series of receding horizon lines—another strong visual motif routinely found in nature.

I moved far back from my subject, shrinking her figure to a fraction of the frame. Her tiny size contrasts the vastness stretching beyond her—an effect that wouldn’t have been as powerful had I only stepped back a few feet.

Human figures always attract the eye, but because this subject is on the far right, the wilderness carries equal weight. Had I placed her in the centre of the frame, she would have overpowered the shot.

Don't be afraid to ask your friends, family and even strangers to pose. Have them raise their arms or change their stance. Great photos convey emotion, and most folks freeze when a camera is pointed at them, which flattens the feeling. Don’t be shy.