12 Stunning Silhouette Shots
One of our most popular posts on this site is How to Photograph Silhouettes.
Today I thought I’d add to the theory of the topic by posting some examples of silhouettes to give a little inspiration to take some of your own.
Image by Luza
Image by Thomas Hawk
Image by 3blindmice
Image by Alexbip
Image by !!sahrizvi!!
Silhouette by !!sahrivi!!
Photo by FreeWine
Photo by simpologist
Photo by Kalandrakas
Silhouette by Yves Lorson
Image by Thomas Hawk
Photo by Fort PhotoHave you taken any Silhouettes? Share them in our forum’s Share Your Shots section.
86 Responses to “12 Stunning Silhouette Shots” - Add Yours
July 18th, 2008 at 2:20 am
this was my first attempt at this type of shot. actually, it was accidental, but i love how it turned out:
http://themolavis.com/trips/newhampshire2007/IMG_4419.JPG.html
July 18th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Boy do I love inspiring shots like these! I think the rest of my work day is going to pass very slowly now…
July 18th, 2008 at 4:06 am
I really like the dolphin shot!
http://www.petelanglois.net
July 18th, 2008 at 4:40 am
I am, in fact, a silhouette fan. And for exactly the same reason you do. It’s a photo that interact with the viewer. Really inspiring your post.
(first time I comment here, even reading the feed for so long!)
July 18th, 2008 at 5:18 am
I just did a post on this on my blog too. Mine was over a week ago and discussed how I achieved and edited my beach silhouettes. I really love some of these that are not even beaches – just every day scenes.
It has inspired me to try some away from the beach too.
Here is a link to my tutorial in case this can help anyone – especially on the editing side of it:
Part 1 (photographing): http://mcpactions.com/blog/2008/07/07/how-to-photograph-and-edit-silhouettes-part-1/
Part 2 (editing): http://mcpactions.com/blog/2008/07/09/how-to-photograph-and-edit-silhouettes-part-2/
Jodi
MCP Actions
http://www.mcpactions.com
July 18th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Wow, those are amazing! I am partial to the boy running and the red toned fish net photos…….thanks for sharing.
July 18th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I really enjoy seeing these shots, very inspiring.
A beginner’s try…
Taken in Antarctica.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenklassy/2659616031/
July 18th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Here is my attempt on silhouettes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetwilly/1624106747/
July 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Mine too :)
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=377
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=360
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=349
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=352
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=339
July 18th, 2008 at 8:44 am
You can see mine too
I love this effect!
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=377
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=349
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=360
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=339
July 18th, 2008 at 8:44 am
You can see mine too
I love this effect!
July 18th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Leave All Behind :
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=377
Shadow n the Beach :
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=349
Autoportrait :
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=360
You :
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=339
July 18th, 2008 at 8:47 am
http://moonsgirl.com/skydancer/index.php?showimage=352
July 18th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Just stunning images and very inspiring. I’ve not yet tried my hand at this. Must do. Love the kayaker.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Great Picture..Great effect. Thanks for your article.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Thanks for this beautiful set .
This is my Silhouette Set in Flickr :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sefroyek/sets/72157604197559517/
July 18th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Very nice shots – just beautiful. I love Silhouettes; there’s a mystique quality about them. Thank you so much for sharing. — Wendy J. Roan
July 18th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
pictures tell thousand of stories………
July 18th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
some great shots, nice post
here are mine,
http://tomleuntjensphotography.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/part-ii-barbara-stijn-and/
July 18th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Beautiful!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Very nice! Love the third one. Here is one of mine:
http://lucidtones.com/index.php?showimage=38
July 19th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Wow, I really liked the clock one. I thought that was amazing
July 19th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Spectacular shots!! I love the simplicity, yet complexity :) of silhouettes.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Wow:
Beautiful work! I am inspired.
Thank you!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:08 am
Simply gorgeous. Thanks.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:17 am
my attempt at a silhouette from an old dolphin photo that looked really bad in color! http://on.eti.me/3
July 19th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I love silhouettes as well! These shots are really nice…makes me want to work harder to achieve more like them…with more contrast. (mine are not as rich looking):(
July 19th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Wow, all of them are stunning and so different and creative! But the first one is just amazing!
My attempt back when I shot in Aperture Priority mode:
http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/fiery-sunset/
I just used the exposure compensation set to -1.0 and it helped to get the effect.
July 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I to, love the silhouettes,, one that I haven’t even thought of trying. Thank you for showing and a must for me to try.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Very great photos.
My favourite is the one with the bird,
then the dolphins and the running little boy.
Great photos. :-)
July 21st, 2008 at 1:08 am
hi friends,
here are some of my attempts at silhouettes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayvee/2307338925/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayvee/2305877607/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayvee/1968180499/
July 21st, 2008 at 1:56 am
Here’s my favorite silhouette…
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/93874519_6479c3cc74_b.jpg
July 21st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Here is a blog post I did some time ago which may be of interest to your readers also on creating custom silhouettes.
http://www.intofotos.com/photography/2008/05/11/creating-custom-silhouettes/
and some of my silhouettes
http://flickr.com/photos/intofotos/2482330231/
http://flickr.com/photos/intofotos/2483200330/
http://flickr.com/photos/intofotos/2230722576/
March 26th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
My fav is the man with the fishing net.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Sunrise Silhouettes
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevy47/3118236459/
March 26th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I love the shot of the guy in the kayak. It looks like he’s paddling in liquid gold.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Hmmm sweet!
I keep looking for these situations all the time.
This one came to life while i was waiting on the train station in Frankfurt Germany:
Thanks for the inspiring photos
Oliver
March 26th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I love silhouttes. Here is my favourite one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfletcher/2966772770/
March 26th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I just realized how many of my Flickr photos are silhouettes. I therefore created that special set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meckimac/sets/72157615926421776/
March 26th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I love silhouettes too. Here’s one I took in Brooklyn on Brighton Beach. I blew it up to 20×30 and frame it – it’s hanging in my dining room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericsbinaryworld/1339310680/in/set-72157600664222883/
March 26th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
i too shot silhouette photos against the setting sun at the beach creating nice silhouette shots :)
here are a few of my favorites:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amirpaz/2767657647/in/set-72157604822457995/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amirpaz/2768694884/in/set-72157604822457995/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amirpaz/2768531920/in/set-72157604823214817/
amir
March 26th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Awesome pictures! I need to dust off my DSLR and start clicking again. Do you have any good resources for learning how to use a Nikon D40X?
March 26th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
those are great
March 27th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Fantastic Photos. I like the photo of the boat by FreeWine. I took this a couple of weeks ago http://www.flickr.com/photos/clickandexpose/3340464178/in/set-72157614274715649/
You can even see the sailor pulling the ropes on the yaught.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:40 am
The problem with silhouette photos is that they can become clichés very easily IMO. Here we can see some that definitely aren’t :)
I like the photo with the owl, the cyclists, and the bridge+traffic light most.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:14 am
love these pictures! wish i was creative as this haha
March 27th, 2009 at 10:13 am
THese are just lovely…some remind me of ancient Chines screens they are so epic and timeless. Just beautiful.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Wow, truly amazing dude, beautiful images. Well done!
RT
http://www.privacy-tools.us.tc
March 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
These pics have some real soul. They beautifully
capture the mood of a moment .
March 27th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Stunning photos here!!! Thank Darren!
March 27th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
beautiful set of silhouettes Darren,
This is one of my favourite silhouette shots from my collection, taken dusing a sunset at a yacht marina in Malta.
http://www.chrisfarrugia.net/photography/main.php?g2_itemId=2626
March 27th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
These are really beautiful and dramatic pictures. Can they be used in articles, on the web etc. or are they copyright?
March 28th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Great shots, everyone.
This is my favorite silhouette shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hypnoeyez99/3263936631/
I snapped it while we were driving by this refinery on our way home from a shoot trip. I took it while hanging out my friend’s car window while driving down the freeway.
March 28th, 2009 at 2:42 am
I love silhouette photos! The one with the bikers on the beach doesn’t look quite real though. It looks like they were cut out and pasted on. When you zoom in, why does it look like the first biker has seams?
March 28th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Beautiful pics. Each one is unique.
March 28th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I love your news letter. I really like the way one cover page can take me into the equivilant of a college course by just cliking on a link. The clear depth of each process that you include from start to finish stirs my creative juces. I am a beginner and your knowledge is helping me to not only take better photos but to love doing it! Thanks, Jeanne Kamps
March 28th, 2009 at 11:43 am
I love the skiing one! All of them are really good though.
March 29th, 2009 at 2:49 am
I live in a beach city and sunset silhouettes are some of my most favorite photos. What started off as an accident turned into a classic shot!
March 30th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Does any of these qualify to be a Silhouette?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ankipraveen/2391308465/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ankipraveen/1386893928/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ankipraveen/1386886302/
April 26th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
wow i really liked that snow skatting one. Really exiting
May 31st, 2009 at 10:00 am
I clicked expecting another 5 pages of mediocre photographs, I leave very impressed.
August 7th, 2009 at 1:31 am
I’ve only manged to capture landscape silhouettes so far, usually early morning or round sunset
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gungo/3683267957/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gungo/3099252063/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gungo/2974143548
August 7th, 2009 at 2:44 am
Very impressed with the creativity of these contributions. The subject matter can become cliched, like anything else that’s overdone. Living near the Pacific Coast has provided me ample opportunities to create silhouettes. I hope I’ve managed to escape that trap with my work. See these examples for yourself:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26605572@N05/3787183673/in/set-72157621940393458/
August 7th, 2009 at 9:03 am
http://jobobarikan.deviantart.com/art/OCEAN-JOY-45299869
August 7th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I don’t think it’s possible for me to take silhouettes… just not enough knowledge in photography… I see the actual sight but I can’t capture it … usually too dark… or something else..
August 7th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Sharp intake of breath! Just had a shock when I saw the picture taken of the clock face in Paris with the two figures in front as I have the exact same image! At first I thought it was my photo, but then remembered mine only has one figure in it. I took it years ago with my 35mm SLR and I’m sure it was a total fluke – it remains one of my favourite images. Usually so self critical, I can’t fault this one.
How cool! We were both inspired by the same thing!
These pictures are all amazing. Congratulations everyone!
August 7th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Nice subject Silhouettes.
I just love backlit scenes, often edgy captures!
Some examples of my own experience with taking silhouettes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/3795609915/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/3796428502/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/3551983048/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/3177234437/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/2899408245/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/2899251227/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30298393@N07/2860918640/
Darren, keep up the good work!
August 8th, 2009 at 2:35 am
these are beautiful!!
August 8th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I love backlit shots. We even offer a workshop on it at the college where I teach…
Here are some of my favs that I have done…
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=silhouette&w=88541630%40N00&s=rec
August 12th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajeshlalwani/3272272352/in/set-72157621082693659/
August 12th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Thank you for the article and wonderful photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahsoft/3238891014/in/set-72157612253191679/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahsoft/3083266744
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahsoft/3042690773
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahsoft/2892122982
August 12th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
That’s some amazing photos! They’re really inspiring :)
August 26th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Heres my best three attempts:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmario/3852799381/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmario/3855055726/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmario/3726095335/
August 26th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Love these! (and so many more on this site) I just took my first shots silhouette style, by accident. I was pretty pleased by the results, but didn’t know if I could do it again. Thanks for the great tips.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
I am also a silhouette fan and this is also my first time to post. Amazing shots and truly inspirational! And, thank you Darren for such a great website! Love it!
August 31st, 2009 at 5:59 am
Amazing… Love the couple by the clock
September 1st, 2009 at 3:52 am
Great picture the one with bycicles, sky is also a plus to composition
September 7th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
silhouette plus accompanying shadow(the natural silhouette) make a great composition!
October 7th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
THis is my first silhouette :)
http://whenimhigh.com.ua/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=16
I like shadows)
http://whenimhigh.com.ua/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=13
http://whenimhigh.com.ua/displayimage.php?album=19&pos=3
October 9th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
OK…… back in Aug, you wrote about silhouette photography and I wrote and said I was not educated enough to do this but decided to give it a try anyway. Here’s what I took… Now I want to take more….
October 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
http://keddoann.smugmug.com/photos/674919833_ofKco-M.jpg
November 4th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
hello,great photos..here’s my attempt..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44262984@N05/4073059826/
feel free to critique
November 4th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
With due respect, I have seen more beautiful silhouette images than the pictures presented here.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
wow, great images!
November 19th, 2009 at 9:39 am
More, much more, than “stunning.” Tried to pick a favorite. Couldn’t. Will now read everything on the site on this subject. Loved it.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Here’s my only successful try at silhouettes. Taken last spring at our local park.
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