What is chiaroscuro lighting?

It is an effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on an object.

The term chiaroscuro is derived from the renaissance times; it is an oil painting technique, developed during the Renaissance, that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, often for a dramatic effect. An artist known for developing the technique is Leonardo Da Vinci.

In photography, chiaroscuro can be achieved with the use of “Rembrandt lighting”.  This technique may be termed “ambient/natural lighting”, although when done for effect, the look is artificial.

Here are some chiaroscuro drawings and oil paintings:

In today’s lesson we experimented with chiaroscuro lighting and its affect on photography, especially portraiture. We looked at examples of chiaroscuro lighting in photography as well as drawings and paintings because oil paintings is how the technique was developed. Looking at the history of this technique helped me understand what I wanted to achieve when we went to the studio.

Here is the set-up of the shoot we carried out to give you an insight into how we achieved the final outcome.

We used a black curtain so the white light would be as clear as possible against it. We also used a stool for our model to sit on but covered it in a black sheet so you couldn’t notice it was there. This made the set-up look sleek and sharp and more professional. All the main lights were turned off and we were left with the continuous studio light which we would use to create chiaroscuro. You can see the light is on the black curtain but when the model was positioned on the stool, we would tilt the light to point at the subject’s face and the light would stand to one side of the model so one side of the face was illuminated and the other in darkness to blend in with the background, and, in-turn create a chiaroscuro effect.

We also experimented with different coloured transparent sheets of plastic over the light to change the colour of the model’s face which had a really nice effect as an alternative to the white light.

Camera settings used:    

Manual setting for adjustments / ISO 100, 3200 / f4.5 / shutter speed 1/100 / white balance 4000K (white fluorescent), 3200K (tungsten) / no flash

I am really pleased with how the shoot turned out. I think our experiments with lighting has shown chiaroscuro really well and I now have a better understanding of it because I have done it practically. I think the different colours of lighting used worked out very well. However, I do believe that the first 30 worked out the best because after that, I began to experiment more with white balance and I changed the light intensity more which lead to some mistakes and some not as good outcomes but overall, I think I’ve covered the criteria and made it my own by being creative with the reds and blues  of light to add more character.

Best image:

I really like this image because of this personality of it. It is very close-up which gives it a personal and interactive sense with the audience, especially because the subject is looking straight into the camera. It is obviously has the chiaroscuro effect and this can be seen very evidently because the right side of her face is illuminated with the blue, cold light coming from the continuous studio light set up away from the frame and the left side of her face is in the shadows and cannot be seen, her facial features blend in with he background which I really like. Out of all the images, this one is one of the most sharp in terms of quality of the image. The seriousness from her facial expression also adds some formality and character to the photo, unlike if she was smiling because this expression would not match the scene of darkness and fading away.

If I was to do this shoot again, I would change a couple of things. These include changing the angle of the light source. I would perhaps move the light to a lower or higher position to illuminate a different part of my model’s face to flaunt other particular features instead of just the same side of her face over and over.  I would also try out different camera point of views and get my subject to pose in a rang of different positions to add variety and to tell more of a story and keep the audience interested. This would reflect Rankin’s style of work more so.

Best edits:

Example of Rembrandt lighting:

Rembrandt lighting is a well-known lighting setup that is used for portrait photography. To achieve this look one half of the models face will be in full illumination whilst the other half is in partial shadow; different to chiaroscuro lighting because the in chiaroscuro lighting, one side is illuminated and the other in full darkness, blending in with the black background but in Rembrandt lighting, you can identify all facial features. Rembrandt lighting was derived after the master himself, Rembrandt, the famous Dutch painter in the 17 century, who used this lighting technique in his art.

I achieved this affect by positioning the camera so it covered just the corner of my models face yet cast light on the whole of her face but it was soft light. I only discovered this to be an example of Rembrandt lighting after doing the shoot so it was a happy accident because I didn’t originally plan to experiment with this particular technique.

I like this photograph because the range of contrast I believe has been successfully captured. For example: The lighting isn’t too strong leading to a nice, balanced exposure and the lighting to not be too harsh. I also like how the light gradually gets darker from lighter as we go further across the objects face. This makes the lighting more sensitive in the sense that it appears more personnel. Also I like how the objects jumper compliments the shadow in the face, showing him and his clothes as one object. Also, to compliment the objects face, like how the hair color reflects the lighting effectively to have a similar shine to that of the light.

Black and white:

I took these photos using a chiaroscuro technique.   On the left hand side are my photos taken without a reflector to the objects face. On the right are my photographs taken with a reflector, reflecting the light towards the right side of the objects face. I experimented with varying strengths of light using high key and low key lighting and different backdrops with a black curtain and a white screen.  I took my photographs with the light pointing from the side going across the objects face to enhance the contrast between shadows and lit areas.   Also, the position of the light source was placed quite close to the objects face to create a harsh lit environment for the areas lit up, and create a further contrast to the darker areas.

In today’s lesson we experimented with the use of natural lighting and shadows in photography and here is a contact sheet of the outcomes of the photoshoot my group carried out: in the first two images we experimented with the use of natural lighting casting on to one side of a persons face to illuminate that side in contrast with the other which s in darkness. This is very evident sand has worked out very well as you can see from the first image. We then used a reflector to bounce the light of sun on to the other side of the persons face which is the furthest from the source of natural light. This technique is used frequently in studio photography to get the best lighting as possible. In the second image you can notice that we have used the reflector as the other half of the model’s face is illuminated and the lighting is evenly sped out, however, you can still notice that the side of the face closest to the sun is the lighter part of her face. Doing this photoshoot today has helped me understand the use of natural lighting and how to enhance photos using particular techniques. I have also learnt that something as simple as a white piece of paper can be used an alternative to a professional reflector and that the best source of natural light is the sun.

In the other photographs, we wanted to experiment with shadows, especially shadows cast onto someone’s face and we found a barrier with holes in it which was allowing sun to be cast though them and it made for a great set up for a photo. We got our model to lie on the floor so that the pattern was being cast onto her face and to add character, she closed her eyes and lied her side so we could get  side view. The outcome is really good and I now have a better knowledge about how to pull something like this off!

I also edited a couple of the images and in my opinion, this makes them look better and makes the pattern more a focal point and something to ask questions about due to the fact that I made them black and white – the contrast between the darker side compared to the illuminated side makes the circles bounce out at the viewer.

Here is the Original.  I like this image of the model because the model is not fully facing the camera, so it creates little soft shadows on her face, making more depth.

When Editing the photos from the Natural Light Experiment Shoot, I wanted to achieve a clear and interesting contrast between the images. I cropped the image to get rid of any unwanted shapes and shadows. However, some of the shadows created interesting frames and shapes within the image so I left them.  For each photo I wanted to have a black and white version as well as a colored version. For this image I prefer the black and white one as it makes the image look more professional.

The Original. What makes this image interesting is the shadow that is cast across the models face. I also love the angles that is created by the shadows in the top right and bottom left corners. It creates a natural frame for the photo.

When editing both these images, I added more contrast so that we could see more of a definition between the shadow and the light.