Dawn Silhouette
By Zack Jennings
20 September 2007
A simple method is to find a location facing East, towards the sunrise. The subject needs to be on higher ground and silhouetted against the sky with no obstructions like trees, power lines, or buildings. Simple props like an umbrella, hats, a piece of luggage or a tool may help.
Arrive well before dawn because your best silhouette may be before the sun actually rises although the sky is getting brighter. This time before sunrise is called the blue hour because the sky will take on an incredible blue tint. The optimum blue hour effect is at about 22 minutes before the official time for sunrise if you are shooting directly at the location the sun will rise. If you are shooting uphill, as I do, you will get several shots in before the sun appears above your hill.
Do not shoot at a radical angle [uphill] as it will shorten your subjects height. If you are shooting in a place with a long horizon: out to sea or off a mountain top then you can shoot nearly level.
At my favorite place, a simple hill side, my subject is about 25 feet in front and 5-6 feet higher than the camera.
I use a tripod, 85mm lens, iso100 and aperture priority set at f2.2. You must instruct the subject to remain very still for a long exposure. I take several test shots and adjust the EV [exposure value] until I am pleased with the result. The whole shoot may take over an hour. You can improvise different poses and get different shots as the light changes.
This technique makes for some interesting photographs in either color or black and white. The results can be very simple, minimalistic.
Once the sun is up, you can experiment with placing the subject in front of the sun. The same technique can be used at sunset facing West.
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