Bodyscapes with Ash — Genuine Burke

A classical bodyscape is a close-up photograph of a body part, usually presented in black and white and composed to appear abstract and somewhat reminiscent of a landscape. I used flash for this set, making it easier for the background to fall into complete darkness.

Close-up, abstract photograph of a woman's torso resembling a black-and-white landscape. — Hilly Terrain, 2026

Here is another example, photographed while the model was on a massage table. I used a single gridded five-foot strip box placed above and behind the model and pointed toward the camera. The strip box’s height and angle can be adjusted to control exactly how much light falls on the skin.

Close-up image of a woman's hip, photographed bodyscape-style in black and white. — Rolling Hills, 2026

Chiaroscuro

The lighting style is technically called chiaroscuro, which is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. It can be argued that bodyscapes are confined to abstract photos as shown above, but what about these next two images? They are certainly examples of chiaroscuro and use the same lighting, but they depict easily identifiable body parts and do not resemble landscapes.

A black-and-white photo of a woman's upper back and spine.

It’s All Bodyscapes

Here’s the thing. I call everything on this page bodyscapes because the lighting and vibe are the same. Figurative Fine Art Chiaroscuro may be more precise for the remainder of the images shown below, but all that really matters is the beauty of the images and how they make you feel.

A woman lies prone, lit with a single backlight, in stark black and white.

A woman lies on her back, photographed with her head oriented toward the camera and her body and legs farther away, black and white.

Close-up of the backs of a woman's bent legs, lit in a chiaroscuro style.

Full-body bodyscape of a woman lying prone with a single light source behind her.

A close-up black-and-white photo showing a woman's legs and rear.

A subtle bodyscape, black and white, showing the contours of a woman's upper body as she lies on her side, toward the camera.

Bodyscape photo of a woman lying on her back.

A black-and-white chiaroscuro image of a woman seated in a black void, facing away from the viewer with her back and legs visible, head bowed, and arms behind her back.

Fine art nude image of a woman seated on the floor, surrounded by black.

Close-up bodyscape of a woman's upper body as she lies on her side.

Bodyscape of a standing woman showing nearly her entire body, lit from the right with much of the image falling into darkness.