by Editor Lourens Durand 
Published the ... 2021

'UPSTAIRS' by Olavo Azevedo

Chiaroscuro, the use of light and shade in oil painting, as developed by da Vinci,
Caravaggio, Vermeer and Rembrandt, became the essence of Renaissance art.

Through careful manipulation of light, dramatic effects were obtained, adding depth and volume to otherwise flat surfaces, injecting them with contrast, texture and emotion.

Painting with Light, as it became known, has since become a useful concept in photography as well. The term encompasses a range of different photographic techniques which can be applied both in-camera and in post processing.

In-camera methods include:

Using a long exposure whilst “painting” the subject using a flash-light or other beams of light

Making multiple exposures with different areas of the subject lit with snooted strobes or speed-lights, followed by stacking into layers in Photoshop and blending them

Shooting single exposures in a studio with carefully set up studio lighting, using strobes, scrims, bounce reflectors, silver cards, white cards, black cards, etc.

Shooting in natural light from a unidirectional light source, such as a small window

On the other hand, it can be done quite effectively in post processing using Photoshop Adjustment Layers and masks to fine-tune selected areas within the photograph. A wide range of effects can be obtained using the different types of adjustment layers: curves, saturation, brightness and contrast, and gradient maps (for black and white).

The idea is to use one or more of these adjustment layers and masks, followed by painting targeted areas with a white brush to lighten or darken them to the desired extent. By using multiple layers, it is possible to apply tailored effects to selected areas of the photo.

Irrespective of the methods used to obtain the final image, the handling of light and shade through Painting with Light has become an important element in the world of photography, and is well-represented in the 1x.com collection, as shown in the selection that follows…

Lourens Durand 

'The Miner's Boots' by Barbara Read

'Arteh' by Richard Bland

'Arch of Moncloa' by Jorge Ruiz Dueso

'like a harp's strings III – rising' by Julia Anna Gospodarou

'Warsaw' by Marc Huybrighs

'Hope' by Fahmi Bhs

'cetrero' by Javier Senosiain

'Girl without an earring' by Bill Gekas

'Shy' by Christian Chereji

'Nastasiya' by Valeriy Kasmasov

'memories' by Christoph Hessel

'the man from Agra' by Piet Flour

'Potatoes' by Bill Gekas

'Opium' by Emerald Wake

'Midnight Story' by Alfredo Yañez

'Ranunculus flowers' by Wendy Xu

'Tulip And Strawberry' by Binbin Lu

'Black coffee' by Margareth Perfoncio

'Simple comme bonjour' by Saskia Dingemans

'Nature morte #2' by Jerome Zakka Bajjani

'The Entomologist' by Nick Walton

'Still life with fine pink tulips' by Vito Guarino

'In the dark of my days' by Delphine Devos

n/t by Antonio Grambone