I created the patterned silhouettes by accident while learning how to work with backgrounds in Photoshop. I reversed a Photoshop element called a mask and instead of changing the background, I changed the subject and the patterned silhouette was born. I did recently capture an actual silhouette image (see below) and then added the patterned look to a variation of that image just to shake things up.
I looked up the history of the traditional silhouette and was surprised to learn the term is derived from a French finance minister named Etienne de Silhouette in the mid 1700’s. He was rumored to cut profiles (the previous term used for silhouettes) in his spare time and when he imposed economic sanctions within France, items that were of lesser quality became synonymous with his name INCLUDING profiles, thus the renaming of profile to silhouette.
Read more about the history of the silhouette here!
Follow this link for tips from Nikon on how to shoot a silhouette!