turning pro
Creating Stand-Out
SILHOUETTES
Pros often talk of strong, simple and emotive
imagery that allows viewers and buyers
to connect with them instantly. The simple
fact is we have about one to two seconds to
impress these people; that’s not much time.
To put it bluntly, they aren’t sitting around
sipping red wine debating the artistic measures
of these images; it’s all about what
works or what can make them money. Silhouettes
do this in spades, and are often
overlooked as part of a portfolio. They’re not
Creating Stand-Out
silhouettes
only strong and simple, but given dynamic
lighting, strong composition and possibly
story-telling movement — coupled with other
factors — they can create an extremely
diverse product that’s very captivating.
A good background
Finding a clean background with character
might be one of the most challenging
aspects of a good silhouette — one
that personifies your subject and lets it
jump off the page. This brings me back to
previous articles where I discussed how
important scouting is. Clutter will definitely
dampen the impact and pull your
attention away from what you’re trying to
portray, so try to keep your vision clean.
Water, sky and snow are about the only
backdrops that will work and sometimes
water and snow are in short supply. Skies
are the one thing we can all count on but
a rugged environment can make this extremely
difficult, so positioning yourself
low often gives a better angle.
Exposure
There is one key element in exposure
that can drastically change the outcome
of a strong silhouette: under-exposure.
And it’s easily done. Firstly, under-exposure
leads to a loss of colour saturation,
creating a drab, dull backdrop. Fixing
this in post leads to dreaded noise and a
washed-out look. By not including the sun
in the frame and setting your exposure
manually, and then recomposing, you can
maintain those colours and character in
the sky without under-exposure ...
By Kelly Funk
Contributing Editor
To read more from Kelly’s column please....
BIO
From very early on, Kelly Funk has made the environment a large part of his life. That love has since been blended into his professional photographic career to form a unique, fresh perspective and high-end product.
One of Kelly’s primary strengths in his work is his diversity of skills. With experience ranging from large commercial clients, advertising and tourism agencies, sports, wildlife and stock work, his technique is transferred from one application to another with an ‘out of the box’ approach that clients are drawn to. Great care and attention are paid to those clients to create the best possible result, by listening intently to their vision and working as a team to bring those visions to life.
A lifelong resident of BC, Kelly’s images have garnered him with National awards and praise from his fellow photographers. His commercial client list is extensive and his images have appeared in such publications as Canadian Geographic, BC Outdoors, Outside and Equinox magazines. He is currently the ‘Turning Pro’ Columnist and feature writer for ‘Outdoor Photography Canada Magazine’, Canada’s first Outdoor photography publication.
Understanding that one person cannot stand alone, Kelly has taken pride in associating himself with top professionals in the industry, in such capacities as: Producers, graphic- designers, publishers, editors and printers. With strong industry associates and Kelly’s relentless passion for photography, a high quality end product will always be priority one.
Please click here for Kelly's site.
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