As soon as a photographer gets their hands on a camera, one of the first types of shots they want to create is the silhouette. In addition to only looking awesome, silhouettes can be incredibly dynamic in how they convey drama, mystery, emotion, and mood. They stand out because of simplicity but also the story they tell. In a nutshell, here’s how it’s done: Silhouettes occur when your background is brighter than your subject. The best way to achieve this is to use a light source as the background and place your subject between it and the camera.