contre-jour

[kon-truh-zhoo r; French kawntruh-zhoor]

adjective

(of a photograph) taken with the camera pointed more or less in the direction of the principal light source or with the strongest light behind the subject.

Origin of contre-jour

1920–25; < French, equivalent to contre counter- + jour daylight, day; see journey

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for contre-jour

contre-jour

noun

photog
1. the technique of taking photographs into the light, with the light source behind the subject
2. (as modifier)a contre-jour shot

Word Origin for contre-jour

C20: from French, literally: against day(light)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012