Silhouettegeneral
A dark subject shape against a bright background, made by exposing for the bright part.
Put a strong light (sunset sky, window) behind your subject and expose for that bright background — the subject goes near-black, reduced to a clean outline. Works best with a recognizable shape and a gap around it (don't let limbs merge). Spot-meter the bright area or dial in negative exposure compensation.
Use this when
- Sunset / bright window: expose for the sky, let the subject go dark
Common mistake: Letting the subject's shape overlap and become an unreadable blob.