Weekly Assignment #152: Sunset Silhouette

[Nikolai]

It's been a while... Ran out of ideas, and the class seem to run out of students... But... may there is some new kids on the block? :wink

Let's make it easy this time: take your subject for a walk around a sunset and take her/his silhouette. Your subject should be a prominent part of the frame, not a spec in a corner.
Technique is easy: pick up your exposure settings from the sky close to the sun (do not include the sun itself though - aim aside or block it with a gobo of sorts, e.g. your thumb). If needed, adjust levels/curves in post to achieve complete lack of details on the subject.

For an extra credit complete your entry with C-theory analysis (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=183153).

Let's get some sunset silhouettes, shall we?

[tinamarie52]

I have been absent for a while, too. I think I can learn a lot from participating. Thanks for bringing the WA back.

[SamirD]

Students may not be present because of day jobs, but keep posting the assignments! When you miss class, you have to make up the assignments, no exceptions. :D

[Ohiohiker]

Here is my go at this. I had my boys out the other day and the sun was setting and Trevor was practicing his juggling of a soccer ball. So placed him between me and sun. Tried to use him to block the sun but with the action sometimes the sun was visible.

#1
http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/photos/i-cPPRP4f/0/M/i-cPPRP4f-M.jpg (http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/Personal/Post-Photos/11126943_ureQt#1396312773_cPPRP4f-A-LB)

#2
http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/photos/i-DQW8nKZ/0/M/i-DQW8nKZ-M.jpg (http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/Personal/Post-Photos/11126943_ureQt#1396312986_DQW8nKZ-A-LB)

#3
http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/photos/i-bWjNSgV/0/M/i-bWjNSgV-M.jpg (http://www.ohiohikerphotography.com/Personal/Post-Photos/11126943_ureQt#1396313212_bWjNSgV-A-LB)

I might try some more in the next few days.

[Nikolai]

Thank you Chris,
good entries! :thumb

[Kav]

In flight over Africa:

http://kavanaughmp.smugmug.com/Deployment/Djibouti-2011/Jib-Vol-II/i-rxPF4vR/0/XL/DSC2901-XL.jpg

[Nikolai]

In flight over Africa:

Pretty cool, thanks for the entry! :thumb
I wish you stopped the lens down to get the lowest shutterspeed possible and hence get the rotor blur...:rolleyes

[Kav]

Thanks, looking back that would have been much better, but I took this after having a slow shutter fiasco. I was shooting in shutter priority with a 1/125 a sec shutter to get a nice blur on the rotors. But we unexpectedly came across a desert oasis. And what did we find there? Ostriches, baboons, antilope, some huge flying birds, and so on. I even saw a cheetah chasing down dinner. Words can not fully explain the awesome. Just one itty-bitty issue... I never took my camera off of shutter priority. So I flying along at about 100 mph, with a slow shutter speed on a helo that has about 13,000 horse power shaking it. So I took a few hundred photos of the animals doing there thing. 3 kinda came out. I didn't even notice it until after we had left the oasis. I was pretty torqued. So I was bound and determined to get some clear shots. Hence the very high shutter speeds for this photo. I'm going to have to give another go when I have a chance.

[Nikolai]

Thanks, looking back that would have been much better, but I took this after having a slow shutter fiasco. I was shooting in shutter priority with a 1/125 a sec shutter to get a nice blur on the rotors. But we unexpectedly came across a desert oasis. And what did we find there? Ostriches, baboons, antilope, some huge flying birds, and so on. I even saw a cheetah chasing down dinner. Words can not fully explain the awesome. Just one itty-bitty issue... I never took my camera off of shutter priority. So I flying along at about 100 mph, with a slow shutter speed on a helo that has about 13,000 horse power shaking it. So I took a few hundred photos of the animals doing there thing. 3 kinda came out. I didn't even notice it until after we had left the oasis. I was pretty torqued. So I was bound and determined to get some clear shots. Hence the very high shutter speeds for this photo. I'm going to have to give another go when I have a chance.

Ouch, that must have hurt :-( yeah, shooting fast moving animal from a fast moving vehicle requires all your camera speed bits... That's why I love and use user settings when I go on a serious shoot where, I know, I'll be under pressure.

[KingdomSeeker]

This was taken along I-20 in SE Arizona.

http://sgsongwriter.smugmug.com/Photography/Pics-From-New-Camera/i-MhfvJn8/0/L/Sunset6485954159270802498-L.jpg

[Nikolai]

This was taken along I-20 in SE Arizona.

Please allow me to repeat: "take your subject for a walk around a sunset and take her/his silhouette. Your subject should be a prominent part of the frame, not a spec in a corner."
Sorry, no go.:dunno

[gorila]

I took these at the eclipse. Critiques pls?36180

[gorila]

36181

[gorila]

36182

[Nikolai]

I understand the excitment about the eclipse, but this assignment is about the subject, not about the light source.
Please allow me to repeat: "take your subject for a walk around a sunset and take her/his silhouette. Your subject should be a prominent part of the frame, not a spec in a corner."
Human, preferably.
Sorry, no go.:dunno

[gorila]

Sorry :p

[Alsocass]

I tried taking a silhouette on an overcast morning. I am still learning how to take my camera off of the auto setting... actually all I did in this one was to put it on manual, but I didn't actually manually adjust anything (still have no idea what P and those other letters mean). I have the canon tutorial which is interesting and useful, just using these weekly assignments as a motivation to put them to use. I find that I read the tutorial but fail to put them to use... I think because I read to much and forget it all. I want to pick one thing and focus on it.

Why is sunset better than any other time of the day?

[Eveman]

Just hanging upside down....

http://eharveyphotography.smugmug.com/People/eHarveyPhotography/i-Kj8T4JQ/0/M/IMG_9438-M.jpg (http://eharveyphotography.smugmug.com/People/eHarveyPhotography/26475310_G8Lg4T#!i=2210409607&k=Kj8T4JQ&lb=1&s=A)

Just hanging in the womb...
http://eharveyphotography.smugmug.com/People/eHarveyPhotography/i-9mBGGJ4/0/M/IMG_9835-M.jpg (http://eharveyphotography.smugmug.com/People/eHarveyPhotography/26475310_G8Lg4T#!i=2210409665&k=9mBGGJ4&lb=1&s=A)

[Eveman]

opps...just found the sticky with the rules. My 2 post above weren't fresh. they were archive. Sorry. still getting familiar with this forum. just joined.

[Nikolai]

opps...just found the sticky with the rules. My 2 post above weren't fresh. they were archive. Sorry. still getting familiar with this forum. just joined.

That's OK! take a couple of fresh ones and post! :thumb

[Nikolai]

I tried taking a silhouette on an overcast morning. I am still learning how to take my camera off of the auto setting... actually all I did in this one was to put it on manual, but I didn't actually manually adjust anything (still have no idea what P and those other letters mean). I have the canon tutorial which is interesting and useful, just using these weekly assignments as a motivation to put them to use. I find that I read the tutorial but fail to put them to use... I think because I read to much and forget it all. I want to pick one thing and focus on it.

Why is sunset better than any other time of the day?

Sunset is the easiest time of day to get a decent silhouette as the sun is low, hence more objects on the ground can be in a correct position between your lens and the light source. Sunrize is similar, but ususally more difficult to work with (for numerous reasons).