Silhouettes

[jps]

Let's see yours!

Keep this strictly photographic, please, and include basic technical information, such as lighting used, camera, lens, focal length, shutter speed/aperture settings, etc. Minor Photoshop work is permissible, but please use it for corrections only, not for major alterations of the image; the idea here is for you to learn a useful technique primarily in-camera.

I want this to be a group tutorial on the technique.

Camera: Canon 30D
Lens: 70-200/4L IS @ 200mm
Camera ISO setting: ISO 1600
Shutter speed/aperture setting: 1/640 @ f9
Lighting technique: Two 16" Smith-Victor reflector flood lights positioned behind instruments aimed at white seamless paper background. 4'x4' black foamcore to block spill light from headstocks.

I did use Photoshop to slightly increase the contrast as there was a little bit of detail still visible on the front of the headstocks.

[rickenbrother]

I did use Photoshop to slightly increase the contrast as there was a little bit of detail still visible on the front of the headstocks.

When you took this shot for the cover of the SoCal 2007 Confluence memory books, the original photo with the slightly visible detail looked cool also. But I used the silhouette shot for best effect.

[rickenbrother]

*Crickets chirping*

I was hoping to see a tutorial here!

[cjj]

Yeah, me too. I know how to do this with orthographic film, we used to use this for making printed circuit boards 20 some years ago. It pretty much just gives you black or white. Doing this with "normal" film, or even better, with modern digital cameras is a bit of a mystery to me...

[jps]

*Crickets chirping*

I was hoping to see a tutorial here!

I was hoping to see some examples and then I could discuss them. The description of what I did lighting-wise should clue folks in to one way to make a silhouette.

[rickenbrother]

The description of what I did lighting-wise should clue folks in to one way to make a silhouette.

I just can't seem to remember what I did with my two 16" Smith-Victor reflector flood lights!

[jps]

I think Diane sold them on Ebay. I do see some scratched letters on ours that look suspiciously like JV.

[rickenbrother]

Oh, so YOU have them!!