A silhouette is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single color, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the whole is typically presented on a light background, usually white, or none at all. The silhouette differs from an outline, which depicts the edge of an object in a linear form, while a silhouette appears as a solid shape. Silhouette images may be created in any visual artistic media, but were first used to describe pieces of cut paper, which were then stuck to a backing in a contrasting colour, and often framed.
Mario Giacomelli
Mario was a self taught photographer, turning to photography after WW2 eventually developing a style characterised by bold compositions and stark contrasts.
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Ray Metzker
Metzker's work was marked by unusual intensity. Composites, multiple-exposure, superimposition of negatives, juxtapositions of two images, solarisation and other formal means were part and parcel of his vocabulary. He was committed to discovering the potential of black and white photography during the shooting and the printing, and has shown consummate skill in each stage of the photographic process. Ray Metzker's unique and continually evolving mastery of light, shadow, and line transform the ordinary into a realm of pure visual delight. His approach to silhouettes isn't the usual bright background and dark silhouette, his images have a lot of tonal contrast. his images have a dark background, as well as a dark silhouette.
This was my first studio experiment with silhouettes using artificial light instead of natural light to create a silhouette. I thought the outcome was successful, but there were still a lot of improvements to be made. For example, the placement of the lights were difficult to adjust as I didn't know exactly where to place the lights, and it was difficult placing the camera close enough to take a the silhouette without the outline of the lights. Although, I decided to make the photographs more abstract by adding three different lights into the frame and capturing the silhouettes with the different shapes and lines in the image. Also the lights were warm and white lights so it made the images more abstract. To improve this experiment I need to research where I should place the lights to get an even distribution of light.
This was my first experiment using the natural light, so I couldn't control where the light would distribute which made it harder as I had to find angles that would capture the silhouette against the light. I found it harder trying to take photographs outside as I couldn't find the right angle, but it was easier to capture the silhouettes inside against a window or doors because the amount of light was limited as i was indoors.