How to Make Head Silhouettes

Place your studio light or lights so they fully light your backdrop. Set them up behind the point where your subject will be standing. Lower or raise the studio lights so the portion of the backdrop will be directly behind your subject's head is well lit. Do not allow the lights to be so close to the backdrop that they can be seen in the frame.

Attach your camera to your tripod by threading the camera onto the tripods bolt. Move the camera to the spot from which you will be photographing. If your camera has a built-in light meter, point it at the lit backdrop and read its suggested shutter speed and aperture. On most cameras, this is seen by looking through the viewfinder. If your camera is not equipped with a light meter, you will need to use a hand-held light meter. Point it at the lit backdrop and read its exposure settings. Make a note of the settings.

Turn your camera to its manual mode by rotating the dial to the "M" setting or by accessing the manual mode through its digital menu system, depending on your camera. Change the aperture and shutter speed to the settings from your light meter. On most cameras, the aperture is adjusted by rotating the aperture ring on the lens. The shutter speed is usually changed by rotating the dial on top of your camera or by accessing the digital menu.

Position your subject in front of the backdrop and studio lights. Head silhouettes are usually taken as side profiles, so ask the subject to stand sideways in front of the camera. The studio lights should not be casting light directly onto your subject. Make any minor adjustments to the subject and light so that the subject's head is in front of the well-lit portion of your backdrop and the subject's head is dimly lit. Turn your overhead or room lights off or dim them, if possible.

Look through the viewfinder on your camera and set up the frame of your photograph. The subject's head should take up the majority of the frame; however, the backdrop should be seen on the sides and top of the subject's head to create the silhouette outline.

Focus your camera by rotating the lens and looking through the viewfinder until the silhouette and background are clear. Press the shutter release button to take the silhouette headshot.