Noir / Chiaroscuro lighting

[Mortze]

Tonight I felt like trying some noir lighting study. I won't deny that noir photography, or chiaroscuro painting is one of my favorites. I really want to learn more about it and get better. I could use your insight on what should I focus on in terms of shadows.
I would also like to see some of your art with this theme. Doesn't have to be black and white pics.

Here is a little Bonnie and Clyde, or Miranda and Lucas if you prefer.



Keep rendering folks!

[Mimailia]

WOW!

M

[tlaero]

That's super cool, Mortze. We should do a noir game or short story or something.

Tlaero

[Mortze]

That's super cool, Mortze. We should do a noir game or short story or something.

It would have to be contemporary, not from the noir movies era. There is very limited content for stuff from the 20's to the 60's. But I suppose noir is an artistic style, not a period.

[Mik]

Inspiring idea, made one myself....tried to make it with tonemapping alone, but this didn't work out like intented for me...so I photoshopped it a little bit.
I'm not really sure if I'm satisfied or not.

bild upload

P.S. And I think it is a little bit grainy, will increase the render quality next time...

[Mortze]

Nice one Mik. Reminds me of the good oldies!
Grainy isn't very problematic. Those movies didn't have the modern film quality and some grainy actually adds that nostalgic feeling to the picture.

If you allow me some advice, I would insist more on the contrast, that is more shadow and more light. It sounds like a paradox. The more light you have in a room the less shadows because of the bouncing light in the surfaces. Well, try to just amplify one major light source. Only one. Of you choice, depending on the feeling or message you want to portray. A strong light behind the girl, indirectly pointing at the wall behind her. Or maybe the strong light comes from the outside, passing through the window and making nice shadows from the blinds.
Chiaroscuro and noir use the low-key lighting. That means that most of the scene is poorly lit, with a soft light, very dim. That creates shadows all over the place, or tenebrism. Then, you use one or maybe 2 very strong lights to emphasize something.

[tlaero]

Noir Science Fiction... (-:

Tlaero

[Mik]

@Mortze Thank you, I agree with you that there is overall too much diffuse light in it.

I tried one without adapting the tone mapping and do the whole B/W, Contrast and Brightness in the post processing...

bild hochladen

P.S. Wasn't there a movie where the hot client was in fact the lover of thr gangster boss....or was she his daughter from an alternate reality...?

[Mortze]

I tried one without adapting the tone mapping and do the whole B/W, Contrast and Brightness in the post processing...

Did you play with the Levels in Photoshop? I think that's even more appropriate than Contrast/Brightness.
That is a good picture, I like that the blinds' shadows don't cover the woman's eyes. Would be awesome to really be able to see those eyes pop. Maybe if you powered that light a bit.

P.S. Wasn't there a movie where the hot client was in fact the lover of thr gangster boss....or was she his daughter from an alternate reality...?

Most probably. It's 101 noir movie plot. But can't recall it.

[sylakone2]

Here is my first attempt

I tried for the Sci-Fi angle Tlaero suggested

subirimagenes
Cheers

Sy

[TheGreatJoeGargery]

Noir Science Fiction... (-:

Tlaero

I didn't know I wanted that until you said it.

[Mortze]

Nice one Sylakone.
Just one remark, or one and a half. It seems the light comes from the column on the right. I might be very wrong about this but I had this idea that we don't use to see the light source in the images in the noir and chiaroscuro artistic style. What if you croped/reframed the picture to exclude that column from the picture and enhanced the light power to give the woman left side an even greater contrast. It is alright if it looks overexposed. See. I like the man's game of shadows and light on his body. But side to side the woman doesn't look that impressive and you most certainly want your women to own the pictures right? Try to make the same contrast to her like you did to the man.
Also, she kind of disapears into her background because her figure is almost as dark as the background. She doesn't pop. You most certainly want her to pop. Either by administrating a strong contrast in her body between lit and darkened parts of her body, or by making the background much brighter than her.

I made 2 other pictures. See if you recognize who is in the first one. The 2nd is a trial with sci-fi/noir.

[LRM]

Ms Alba?

[Mik]

Play it again, Mortze...?

Btw, I think the Film Noir was also inspired by one of the first SF films "Metropolis".

P.S. And the first one seems to be perfect, Chapeau....!

[muttdoggy]

I've liked Noir and Neo-Noir for the longest time. I like all the pictures on here. The noir lighting can actually convey a scene better than full-color in many cases.
One of my favorite movies is Sin City. It's based on the Frank Miller comics.