Your Assignment Is

"Your Assignment Is..." Photo Challenge

Now that the 365/52 Photo Challenge has ended, the Rockbridge Camera Club is starting a new challenge "Your Assignment is...", for 2022. Each month we will assign a photographic technique, and you may submit images taken using that technique.

Click here for description of the challenge and instructions on submitting your photos.

Click on the box below for the description of this month's assignment.

Click on any image to go to larger images and the photographers' full descriptions.

September Assignment: Macro

August Submittals: Shooting a Silhouette

Eben Ostby - Sunset Silhouette

A particularly lurid sunset was the setting for this silhouette. It’s funny how, if you know someone, you can tell who is who in a silhouette without any other clues.

Peggy Fleming - Shadow Self Portrait

iPhone

Peggy Fleming - Vine and Rope

iPhone

Bob Kovach - Trees and Fog

On a foggy morning this month, I noticed that the backlit fog created a silhouette of the trees in our back yard.

Taken with a Sony RX100, at f/4.5, 1/2000 sec, ISO 500.

Bob Kovach - Tunnel View

A tunnel walkway to a castle in Sweden.

Taken with an Olympus mirrorless camera at f/5.6, 1/8 sec, ISO 200.

Bob Kovach - Humpback Bridge

I had my camera on a tripod, taking some images at the Humpback Covered Bridge, when this couple walked through. As they were about to exit the bridge, they formed a perfect silhouette.

Taken with my Nikon D850, at f/8, 1/10 sec, ISO 200.

Lad Sessions - Under the Bridge

Under the bridge at W&L, with some leaves still hanging on, last December.

Sony A7III ISO 800, 1/100@f/4, EV -0.30.

Lad Sessions - Solitary Crow

A solitary crow on the cupola of our duplex, with a mackerel sky, late June.

Sony A7III, ISO 100, 1/80@f/5.6, EV -0.70.

Lad Sessions - Colorful Sunset

Crepe myrtle leaves against a colorful sunset, early July.

Sony A7III, ISO 6400, 1/40@f/11, EV -0.70.

Ted Burrowes - 406 South Main

This roof railing has caught my eye for a long time. It is along a ridge line and is not a protective fence to prevent someone from falling off a flat roof surface. By virtue of being dark in color itself, it almost always presents itself as a silhouette, not needing a special time of day to get the light background. I took this with my Sony RX100, then enhanced the silhouette effect a bit in ON1.

Ted Burrowes - Coins

I've puzzled a bit over 'silhouette' vs. 'shadow' and whether the latter would qualify for this month's challenge – in my experience shadows are easier to come by than back-lit silhouettes. I decided early on, though, that I did not want to use shadows, and while pondering how to get a suitable back lighting for a non-shadow image and without having to have a sunrise/sunset, or bright window in a dark room, my eye noticed a table lamp in our living room with a translucent shade that was sloped so that I could put things on it and get a silhouette that I could be proud of. I liked this experiment using pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, whose mostly random arrangement produced some nicely varied shapes in both the light and dark areas. The iPhone 13 pro was more than equal to the task, and ON1 again allowed me to provide a bit more drama.

Ted Burrowes - Tree and Cloud

My perception is that, in general, a photo with a silhouette has that silhouette as the principle subject. But in this shot the silhouetted tree serves to contrast with and enhance the bright cloud. I'll also propose that the cloud itself presents something of a silhouette in that its 'silver lining' is an edge of sorts. (It also seems to me that, as part of its supporting role, the major tree limbs provide a kind of expansive pair of leading lines to the clouds.) This was also taken with my iPhone photo and improved using ON1.

Chuck Almarez - Industrial Silhouette

Industrial silhouette.

1/40, f/6.3, ISO 800, 67mm

Chuck Almarez - Farm Life Silhouette

Farm life silhouette.

1/100, f/8, ISO 200, 24mm.

Chuck Almarez - NYC Skyline Silhouette

NYC Skyline Silhouette. 1/30, f/10, ISO 100, 22mm. Three shot panorama.

Chuck Almarez - Crown Hill Silhouette

Crown Hill Cemetery Semi-Silhouette. 1/100, f/11, ISO 640, 24mm. I wanted to make this a silhouette, but there was still too much ambient light. Tried to create more of a silhouette by increasing contrast and reducing black exposure. Too dark, but an interesting option.