Four Cinematic Silhouette Lighting Techniques

Good lighting can do more than just properly illuminate your subject for a good exposure; it can help you tell a story. This super informative video will show you four lighting setups for cinematic silhouettes.

Coming to you from Aputure, this awesome video features music video cinematographer David Weldon talking through four cinematic lighting setups that feature silhouettes. While these setups are geared toward videography work, there's no reason you can't also learn quite a bit and try some of the techniques as a photographer as well. I'm always impressed not just by the technical and practical knowledge of such professionals, but by their ingenuity in both controlling the light and finding unique solutions to on-set problems to really shape and precisely form their vision. It's a great reminder that there's more than one way to correctly light a scene, and proper exposure is only the beginning. Good lighting is really about storytelling and shaping the mood for the viewer. Even if you're not looking to recreate the setups featured in the video, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to watch it, as it's full of useful information and insight into the processes behind creating a professional lighting setup.