In Chapter 4 of Michael Freeman’s book “The Photographer’s Eye,” he writes about chiaroscuro and key. “The Italian expression chiaroscuro (literally ‘light/dark’) refers specifically to the dramatic modeling of subjects in painting by means of shafts of light illuminating dark scenes.” When I was first learning how to “expose for the light”, I had a difficult time understanding what that meant. I would expose for all the light in a given scene, letting the camera automatically meter for the average of the frame. It wasn’t until I learned about chiaroscuro that the concept started to make sense. The more I looked at images by prominent photographers, the more I realized that chiaroscuro was a key component of what defines many photojournalistic styles. I started to look for rays of light streaming through windows and other openings to “spotlight” my subjects.
The picture above reflects one of my more recent uses of the concept. On my first day working at the Yakama Nation Aviary, I struggled with the light in the enclosures. I knew I would need to work on isolating my subjects against a difficult lighting and background. To make this image, I arrived promptly at 6am for the morning routine with the animals and stood outside the enclosure door. I exposed just for the light that was shining through the door and hitting the back wall. Then I waited. At one point Hera flew into the ray of light and I was ready. It took several shots to get one where her face was in well placed in a ray, but it was worth the wait.