What does it mean when a person is completely blacked out of a photo?

I don't know what you mean. Something paranormal? Something else?

It can mean that the backlight was so strong that all you got was a silhouette. If that is the case and the background is an important feature then use a flash for fill in light to light up your subject.

Are you using digital or film? Is it a compact point and shoot, or an SLR?

Another explanation may be that you are using too short of a shutter speed...

We don't know what type of camera you are using, so we don't know how much control you have over the shutter and aperture...

On a point and shoot (compact) camera, you will have much less control than with an SLR... Either way there are ways to control what you get...

If you are using a digital compact point and shoot, look at the "shoot mode"... Some cameras have this on a dial, and others as a setting you find through the screen... Look for the settings that let you control shutter or aperture "Av, Tv, P, M," These are the more manual modes... If you have them, then start changing the settings for them... Tv mode will control the shutter. The speed will probably display as (1/60, 1/120, or for longer speeds [seconds]; .55", 1", 15", etc... )

Change your shutter setting to something longer (from 1/60 down to a couple seconds if necessary [tripod is recommended]) to correct the silhouette problem... Note that this will make your background overly bright even to the point of being completely white... But your person or people will be viewable...


If you are using a digital that doesn't let you control any of this, then just test out the different automatic settings... In general you can adjust the exposure value... Might look something like this... (<-3--2--1--0++1++2++3+>) There probably won't be +'s, I was trying to show that there are positive and negative exposure values... Change this towards the right side or the positive side... It will do basically the same as adjusting the shutter or aperture, bright background with foreground or people well lit...


If all else fails, use the flash (like califdadof3 said) or try not to shoot your subject/s in front of a bright background... Digital cameras often think that you want to focus and capture the brightest portions of a scene, and so that is what they focus on and expose for...

I really hope this helps...
The more info we get the more accurate we can answer... What sort of camera are you using? That should help us to help you...

It's Halloween - is anyone sure this isn't a question about the paranormal?

It's Halloween - is anyone sure this isn't a question about the paranormal?

It could be but since it was posted here I tried to answer it in the context of this forum :)