Contre-jour

Contre-jour is the photographic technique employed by the French photographers for capturing images against the daylight. In a simpler language, Contre-jour refers to the images taken by the photographer when the camera is pointing directly toward the source of light.

Contre-jour makes the entire effect of the photograph emphasizing on the subject. This impression usually helps to hide the details of the background causing a stronger contrast between light and darkness, ultimately creating a Silhouette. The lines and shapes of the image are prominent through Contre-jour phenomenon. The sun or other artificial source of light is often noticed as a brighter spot or a strong glare of ray behind the subject. Fill light are also used while shooting the photograph in order to illuminate the sides of the subject facing the camera.

During the shot, with the execution of Contre-jour technique, the shutter speed and f-stop are set to accurately recreate the area around the light source. Portraits captured through Contre-jour will depict a brighter halo of light accompanied by the adjunct Fill-in-lights to illustrate the details. On the other hand, Strong light shining on the camera has the tendency to create flare.

Contre-jour enables professional photographers and other amateurs to capture stills from various moments of life in spite of adverse conditions. This makes photography easier and convenient.