It was because I had to squint to watch the dog go out on the retrieve that I reached for my camera early this morning.
Silhouettes photos are some of the simplest shots to get. Shooting them of something moving across water adds action to the shot. This was taken this morning in western Reno County.
When the dog trotted back through the sun’s glare on the water I let the camera automatically focus and set the light meter on the blackened Lab.
Getting good silhouette photography is often that easy.
All it takes is a subject against a much lighter background.
Sometimes that’s the sky or the light coming through a window. It’s also easy to silhouette a subject against a broad surface of smooth water, like a pond or lake.
The main thing is to have the entire subject against the lighter background. If, for instance, you’re photographing a birder against a sunrise with the horizon going through his or her mid-section all you’ll see is the upper half of their body.
Often you have to raise or lower the camera to get a full silhouette. I’ve had to stand on top the cabs of pick-ups or be totally flat on my belly to get some shots in the past.
But thanks to today’s digital cameras you can see your successes and failures while still in the field.
Returning from a youth deer hunt the previous evening I'd seen a herd of bison along this ridge. I was back before daylight and blocked the rising sun with this young cow.
The neat thing about silhouettes is that about anything looks good darkened against a sunrise or sunset.
People can practice about anywhere and anytime the sun is rising or setting.
There’s no simpler shot to get, in my opinion.