LOW KEY AND HIGH KEY PHOTOGRAPHY€¦ · Low Key Photography Control the environment •Have all light hit the backdrop at an angle. •Low power on the flash or other light source.

LOW KEY AND HIGH KEY

PHOTOGRAPHY

Bill BettsSeptember 6, 2017

Low Key Photography

A style where the main elements are darkness and negative space.

Excellent way to create a certain mood or to use contrast to highlight a subject

Low Key Photography

Can be accomplished in:

• A studio

• Outdoors

• Indoors

• Post processing

Low Key Photography

Control the environment

• Have all light hit the backdrop at an angle.

• Low power on the flash or other light source.

• Too much can create unwanted shadows

• Extraneous light sources

• Shoot in interior rooms, lights off behind any doors, etc.

• Control wanted shadows

• Features of subjects such as shadows around eyes, nose, mouth, etc.

Studio Low Key

Lower power on the flash.Can generate shadows on background.

Keep subject and background as far apart as possible.

Low Key Photography

ISO 20035mm macrof1915 secAvailable light

ISO 20035mm macrof9.51/10 secFlash 1/16th pwr

Studio Low Key

Indoor Low Key

Outdoor/Arena Low Key

Image Info:Shot on a Fujifilm X301/400F 3.6ISO 3200© Brian Orlovich

When the performers moved to the front of the stage, it put me directly behind the performer where he was back lit and allowed the performers to have a nice rim light.

I converted the image to B&W, adjusted the contrast, burned in some areas that I wanted to be completely black and removed some exit sign lighting with spot removal.

- Brian Orlovich

Outdoor/Arena Low Key

Image Info:Shot on a Fujifilm X301/400F 3.6ISO 3200© Brian Orlovich

Outdoor/Arena Low Key

Image Info:Shot on a Fujifilm X301/400F 3.6ISO 3200© Brian Orlovich

Outdoor/Arena Low Key

Image Info:Shot on a Fujifilm X301/400F 3.6ISO 3200© Brian Orlovich

High Key Photography

A style where the main elements are mid-tone greys through bright whites and negative space.

The use of bright light to eliminate shadow and reduce the contrasts in the picture

Light featureless backgrounds

High Key PhotographyControl the environment

• Have all light hit the backdrop at an angle.

• High power on the flash or other light source.

• Reduce contrast

• Eliminate shadows on the background

• Lights hitting backdrop from different angles can change shade of back drop

• White

• Studio shots need the correct “shade” of white on all reflectors and backgrounds

• Control wanted shadows on subject

• Example: shadows around eyes, nose, mouth, etc.

Studio High Key

Studio High Key

Key light from rightFill light from aboveKey light 1/16th pwrFill light ¼ pwr

Key light from rightFill light from leftKey light 1/16th pwrFill light 1/8th pwr

ISO 20035mm macroF81/10th sec

ISO 20040mm macroF131/10th sec

Studio High Key

This was a mistake. The flash and camera weren’t set up and this is out of the camera

This is everything set, complete with shadow…

Studio High Key

Fill light above Fill light to left

Post-Processing High Key

Image Info: © Susan Bates

Outdoor High Key

Image Info:© Jeff Armstrong

… boosted the exposure, did likewise with the highlights & whites and added some clarity & vibrance.

… did some brush work on certain elements in the photos to make them standout.

Like for the cowboy, after all other adjustments were done I darkened his face a bit make it standout.

- Jeff Armstrong

Outdoor High Key

Image Info:© Jeff Armstrong

Outdoor High Key

Image Info:© Jeff Armstrong

Setting Up An Inexpensive Studio

Materials

• 40”x32” Sheets of black or white matte

• Sheets of fabric or paper in desired shad of white

• Borrow two electronic flashes from Allen Baxter w/remotes

Equipment

• Tabletop lightbox for small things

• Notebook – record settings and locations of flash, anything that is not embedded in the photo metadata

• Borrow two electronic flashes from Allen Baxter w/remotes

Links to On-line High/Low Key Photography

• The Complete Beginners Guide to Shooting High Key-Photos

• The Complete Beginners Guide to Shooting Low Key Photos

• Shutterstoppers High Key Photography with Natural Light

• DIY Photography Lighting High and Low Key Photography

• DPS High Key Photography

• DPS Low Key Photography

• Light Stalking - High Key Tutorials