Video Link at the BOTTOM for visual learners
Imagine, it's a Friday night and you want to go hang with your buddies for an afternoon surf, but can't get in the water. This doesn't mean you can't have a good time. Heck, you might even be able to have more fun. Well, this is kinda the situation that I was in, but still wanted to hang out, so what did I do? Well, I grabbed my camera and headed to the beach.
Locked and loaded with the 150-500mm lens, I joined in the action in my way, from behind the lens. Photographing @andrew__muse and @kickerdogmuse during a surf session. My goal was to shoot a little story about going to beach, focused on silhouette to create a timeless feel. Here are a few tips I focus on to get create silhouette images:
First, face subject into the sun:
While counterintuitive and breaking the "rules" of photography 101, shooting into the sun to make the subject backlit.
Second, place the subject just above the horizon:
This means, get your body on the ground if you have to. Heck, you will often find me rolling in the dirt to make this happen! Pro tip, don't wear your Sunday best while shooting.
Third, have a clean background:
The key is to have the background be simple, clean, and bright. Sunset or sunrise works best for this. You can shoot midday, but shadows become complicated!
Summary
Well, there you have it, this is how I focus on shooting silhouettes.
But remember, this is was more about joining in the fun with friends, even though you might not be able to get in the water for a surf. So, how do I do that? Well, as a photographer one of the best gifts I can give are images of my friends. So, I hook them up with some of the frames from that day and we get to laugh at some of the bloopers and crashes, meanwhile gawking at the images which capture them riding waves!
Long story short, there is almost always a good way for you to join your friends on an adventure, so get out there and live!