The term chiaroscuro stems from the Italian words chiaro (“clear” or “bright”) and oscuro (“obscure” or “dark”), and refers to the arrangement of light and shade. Chiaroscuro, uses a single light source—such as a lit candle or an open window—to dramatically brighten figures against a dark background. This emphasis on tonal contrast employs intense contrasts of light and dark.
I think this photo employs the Chiaroscuro effect.

Firsts are always special. This was the very first fruit from my garden.
The Gooseberry plant reminds me of being a child and playing in my Grandmother’s garden, where Gooseberries like this grew wild. The paper cases are a delight to pull apart even when you all grown up.
Inside you’ll enjoy a slightly tart berry, just bursting with flavour. A superfood with lots of goodness as a bonus.
Reversing the ‘chiariscuro’ effect so that the background is light and foreground darker, can produce interesting results, especially at sunrise.


Great shots. Very artistic. Congrats on the gooseberry.
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I am very keen to eat more. I just have to wait until the new fruit ripen as they can be toxic until then.
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The gooseberries I grew up with in NZ are very different from the papery cased ones in Australia. Over there they look more like a grape. Interesting photo effects Amanda. I love the silhouetted photos against the sunrise.
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Hi Chris, Thanks for your lovely comment. The one I photographed is a Cape Gooseberry, see here: https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/cape.htm
Apparently different from a Chinese Gooseberry and a plain old Gooseberry! Confusing isn’t it?
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