Chiaroscuro in art and in this case photography, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. In the words of photography Chiaroscuro is a popular technique used in studio photography as the lighting equipment and backdrops available allow photographer to complete the technique accurately. Chiaroscuro usually consists of a 1 point lighting system in a dark room with a back backdrop, so there is only one source and direction of light It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modelling three-dimensional objects and figures.

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The technique was vey popular during the Renaissance, where the term originated from. It involved drawing/painting on coloured paper and then the artist would work from the paper’s base tone toward light using white “gouache” and would do this using dark ink, body-colour or watercolour.

Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci is said to have invented chiaroscuro, discovering that he could portray depth through slow gradations of light and shadow. Now, rather than using this technique in just painting many photographers, such as the ones below, use the chiaroscuro technique to have a dramatic contrast between the model/object and the background.

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