all about Chiaroscuro

[Benjamin Vallejera]

Hi! i'm quite fascinated with chiaroscuro photography... can anyone gave me pointers / tips on doing this?

i'm using Olympus E-520 with 2 kit lens
Vivitar DF400MZ
and generic RF flash Trigger.


also, what's the difference with chiaroscuro and strobist shots?

thanks in advance!

 

[Rachel Foster]

Interested in this question as well.

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Hi! i'm quite fascinated with chiaroscuro photography... can anyone gave me pointers / tips on doing this?

i'm using Olympus E-520 with 2 kit lens
Vivitar DF400MZ
and generic RF flash Trigger.


also, what's the difference with chiaroscuro and strobist shots?

thanks in advance!

Hi Benjamin,

It's all to do with the lighting, but that's not different from all types of photography. Using studio lighting helps to control the light quality. Maybe you could explain what it exactly is that you are looking for (shading, 3-D effect, etc.).

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Alain Briot]

Chiaroscuro = clair obscur = dark and light

Photography is first about light first and second about subject matter.

A poor subject in great light will always look better than a great subject in bad light.

Think about how many bad photographs of the Grand Canyon are taken daily. One cannot blame the subject. One can only blame the photographer's use of light.

Composition in photography is first and foremost knowledge and use of light.

Chiaroscuro is one type of light. It was used widely by painters during the Renaissance.

Here's one photograph that I titled "Chiaroscuro" because it is about lightness and darkness:

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Alain,

Chiaroscuro = clair obscur = dark and light

Light and dark, non?

Here's one photograph that I titled "Chiaroscuro" because it is about lightness and darkness:

Exquisite!

 

[Ken Tanaka]

In film, the "film noir" movement of the late 1930's to 1950's represented some ideal examples of chiaroscuro lighting. It's usually, although not exclusively, associated with b&w imaging. Inky blacks, strong contrasts, limited tonal gradations. It takes real talent and practiced skill to use this style of lighting well.

 

[Asher Kelman]

In film, the "film noir" movement of the late 1930's to 1950's represented some ideal examples of chiaroscuro lighting. It's usually, although not exclusively, associated with b&w imaging. Inky blacks, strong contrasts, limited tonal gradations. It takes real talent and practiced skill to use this style of lighting well.

With limited budget for lighting, anything visual like this might considered artistic and the camera can be jittery, and that's an effect! One can get away with almost 90% black screens. Sound is utterly unforgiving! The sound however must always be perfect or else the folk will walk out of the movie house!

Asher

 

[Benjamin Vallejera]

thanks guys for the replies.

i find it quite similar to strobist shots.
usually, if i hear chiaroscuro, my mind automatically think of portraits with too much shadows... (like rembrandt portrait). i thought at first it's controlling/visualizing the shadows rather than controlling/visualizing the light on the subject... (that's why i think of rembrandt painting.)