Low key and high key are artistic techniques in photography. Both of them are used in portrait and product photography, photography for catalogs, portfolios. The idea of ​​a low key is simple - minimal lighting, dark tones, highlighting some parts of the model. High key is the complete opposite, when the subject is well lit with soft light, light, gentle tones predominate and there are no thick shadows.

Shooting in low key is simple, but makes it possible to get spectacular, memorable pictures. The bottom line is that on a black background, a very small, but the most significant area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe future image is highlighted with light, everything else remains in deep shadow. Usually only one light source is used in the lighting scheme, if additional light is given, it is only to make the shadows light up a little. The key light is set to the side of the subject at an angle of 45 degrees and is adjusted depending on the intended plot.

To keep the background dark, the light source is rotated away from the background so that the directed beam of light illuminates only the desired area of ​​the object. If the shadow side is too dark, it can be slightly illuminated with a reflector, if you need to focus on the details of the picture - use modeling light to highlight the model from behind (contour and hair) work with backlight. The key is correct exposure. Take a spot meter exposure in the area whose brightness is above average, set the exposure pair, and reduce one of the exposure values ​​by a step. The result can be monitored on the camera display, the picture should become darker.

To build a light scheme, you need several light sources. One is installed in front of the model just above the camera, its task is illuminate the subject evenly. To make the light soft, diffused and not give harsh shadows, use a nozzle (softbox or umbrella in the light). Having achieved the desired illumination of the subject, install two other illuminators behind it from different sides and direct the light flux towards the background. The power of these two light sources should be one or two steps higher than that of the main one (which illuminates the object). Carefully approach the choice of background light power. If the background is overexposed, contours from the subject will appear, if the power of the illuminators is insufficient, the background will turn gray.

When shooting a head or shoulder portrait in high key, one light source can be used. Set it to the side of the model so that the light falls on both the model and the background. To soften the light and reduce the brightness, place a diffuser between the model and the light. As a result, the model will be lit with soft diffused light, and the background will be lit brighter than the model. If necessary, highlight the dark side with a reflector, and to prevent the background from turning gray (lack of lighting), place the model very close to the background. With a full-length portrait, this scheme is not used (a shadow from the diffuser appears on the background).

Both of these techniques are very popular in artistic photography . In practice, basic lighting schemes can become more complex, and in order to achieve the desired result, you will have to tinker with the installation of light. But it's definitely worth a try high and low key - this is already creativity where there is a place for an idea, an experiment, and such works are always appreciated and attract attention.

Recalling a recent video on how to turn a photo into a kind of pencil sketch. Surely you have seen photographs made in this manner.

Such a technique is called "high key"(high key).

It looks a lot like editing in Photoshop, doesn't it? With some skill, such photos are obtained without any Photoshop. True, this requires not so much the ability to control the camera as skills in the use of lighting.

This technique is characterized by the predominance of light tones over dark ones. The Soviet photography school required that when shooting in a bright key, the darkest parts of the frame should not be darker than light gray. Even ink for such portraits tried to select not black, but gray. (If you look closely at the example above, you will notice that there are no very dark areas in this photo).

Western photography schools allow black or very dark details.

Most often filmed in a high key:

• portraits (usually of children or women, and with blond hair);
• landscapes (for example, winter snowy);
• still lifes.

Shooting in high key is very popular when shooting female portraits. Portraits are gentle, the skin looks clean, flawless. It is clear that a portrait of a man in this technique will not look quite adequate :)

How is a high key photograph taken?

Usually these photos are taken in a studio.

This is what the lighting scheme looks like when shooting in a high key:

However, if you are shooting a small still life or facial portrait, then it is quite possible to get by with only one light source. It is better to place it front-side, so that it illuminates both the model and the background at the same time. If you also use some reflectors to soften the shadows, it will be even better.

When shooting landscapes, the background can be white snow or a bright sky. And in general, any fairly light background.

Most often, high-key photos are converted to black and white, so they look more comfortable.

Was with you today
Vyacheslav Slobodchuk.

14.04.2017

A high-key photograph is a portrait shot on a white or specially whitened background. A bright and attractive snow-white background in the photo always has an extraordinary positive energy. Using such a background allows you to focus the viewer's attention on the subject of the photograph, and not on secondary objects.

For high-key images, very bright light is used, which allows you to illuminate the maximum number of hard shadows in the photo. This type of photography was first used for screens that could not reflect images of high contrast, but over time it branched off into a new style of photography.

Techniques for taking high-key photographs

Photos taken in this style have a positive tone. This method is good for photographing an interesting, fun and bright subject.

Taking a good indoor photo in this style is not easy, especially if the photographer does not have special equipment. In this case, shooting outdoors on a sunny day will be easier and cheaper. To get a photo on a snow-white background in the studio, you will need special lighting equipment.

If there is not enough light in the process of photographing, the white background may not look light, but, on the contrary, gray.

In order to obtain a light background, the masters use another interesting technique: they apply external flash. The method gives quite good results. For example, you can take the subject away from the background at some distance and set the flash behind it so that the light is directed to the background. Such a prem allows you to get a high-quality white background.

Lighting Options for High-Key Photographs

To obtain photographs in this direction, the following types of lighting are used:

1. Permanent (continuous).
2. Impulse.

If you need continuous lighting, you can opt for tungsten lamps that emit warm light or cold light fluorescent lamps. Tungsten lamps differ in that they heat up and emit a warmer light. Fluorescent, in turn, do not get hot and reproduce light that is more reminiscent of natural daylight.

The main disadvantage of continuous light lamps is that they have low power, which prevents high-quality images from being obtained.

When taking photographs, you can also use pulsed light sources. They are more versatile and have high power, which is why many studio photographers use only them.

To get good quality high-key photos, you need to find a balance between the combination of the illuminated background and the subject. It is quite difficult to do this, such a skill requires some practice and good equipment. But if you master this skill, you can get memorable and beautiful artistic pictures as a result.

Interesting publications on the site

What is a "high key"? How is it used, what nuances should be taken into account when working when shooting “in high key”?

So what is high key (also sometimes called "light key")? This is a photography technique characterized by the predominance of light tones over dark ones. The Soviet Photo School (Feldman-Kursky) also states that when shooting in a light tone - in the dark areas of the frame there should not be tones darker than light gray, but if we turn to foreign authors, we will not see such strict restrictions.

In a picture taken with this technique, there are usually only a few dark areas in a lighter environment.

What is most often filmed in a light key? Most often these are portraits (especially of children and women) and winter "snowy" landscapes.

Matteo. Baby. The photo was taken using the "high key" technique. Attribution: Share Like. Some rights reserved by Tom Cuppens
Camera: Nikon D40
Shutter speed: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal length: 42mm
ISO sensor sensitivity: 200

Why is shooting in this technique so popular when shooting a female portrait? The fact is that the skin, immersed in the light of soft boxes, becomes visually smoother, more flawless - but isn't this what, most often, the make-up artist, the model-client herself, and the photographer strive for? Isn't this the elements of an ideal female image? It’s the same with babies – even though a baby’s skin is already smooth and silky, this is often emphasized – particularly through high-key photography.

A different approach to the high key.
In this case, the post-processing of the photo model strongly emphasized the eyes and lips, outlined the contour of the face.
Because of the rich black eyes, photography cannot be considered in the full sense as a representative of the technique we are discussing for shooting technology. For in the classical Soviet / Russian tradition, a high key excludes such dark areas, because of this, even mascara on the eyes of a fashion model can be applied not black, but gray.
However this approach quite traditional in the European/American tradition. And the image of the photo model remains very bright :)
"Naty2 High Key" Attribution: No Derivative Works.
Some rights reserved by quiroso

How is a high key photograph taken? Consider the example of shooting in a photo studio.

1. A light background is selected. Usually white. The background should be well lit, its brightness should be comparable with the brightness of the object being photographed.
2. Soft boxes of the maximum size are being prepared, they illuminate the fashion model. How exactly to arrange soft boxes and whether to use key light as well - the photographer chooses on his own, the main thing is to prevent deep, saturated shadows.
3. In the camera settings, a positive exposure compensation is selected - for example, by one step (selected experimentally).
4. The fashion model is also recommended to wear the lightest clothes. Do not use clothing - if its tone is much darker than skin tone.
5. Photo processing. Often a photo taken in a light key during post-processing is discolored, which gives the photo a certain charm. However, this is not a prerequisite.
6. It is desirable to photograph in RAW format! Then you will have the opportunity to correct the exposure already on the computer - if a minor error occurred during the shooting.

When shooting a portrait in this technique, it is recommended to choose photo models exclusively with blond hair and skin (especially if you want to work in a "classic" high key, although in practice brunettes are often photographed ...). For dark-skinned and brunettes - you can use the "low key".

Photoshop and other photo editors allow you to turn many ordinary photos into high-key photos. For this, special plugins or algorithms for working in the photo editor itself are used. (see video below)

Composition and exposure are an integral part of any photo masterpiece. It is very easy to spoil the ingenious idea of ​​a picture by inept handling of the camera - incorrect installation. However, an impeccable exposure of the frame does not guarantee an excellent picture. But, how often does a novice photographer think about the fact that the skillful use of non-standard exposure can make a picture worthy of admiration from a banal plot?

Composition and exposure are harmoniously combined in a true photographic masterpiece.

A photograph that tells a story must be realistic... However, sometimes a bit of exaggeration (scientifically "hyperbole" :o) and even special effects can become necessary to create a certain mood or give the plot dynamism.

It should be noted that here we are not talking about the effects applied in graphics editor(for example, Photoshop) after taking a photo. And even more so, not about the automatic effects built into your camera.
This article will focus on some techniques for creatively choosing exposure parameters that can create certain effects already in the process of photographing.

Standard exposure, which is most often set when shooting in full AUTO mode, sometimes creates a false impression of reality. For example, a scene shot in the late afternoon may look like the event took place in the morning. Another typical example: when photographing a moving object in automatic modes, the dynamism of the scene being shot usually disappears due to the fact that the moving object turns out to be static (stationary).

Such "blunders" of the full automaton force you to switch to more flexible and controlled manual exposure settings. But to get the benefits of manual photography, you need to use your exposure settings creatively!

Here I would like to warn a novice photographer, starting to study manual modes, from the advice of some "smarts from professionals". The most stupid advice on using manual modes is something like this: "Look at what exposure parameters the camera has set in AUTO mode and set the same parameters in manual mode M" - never do this, because mindlessly copying automatic parameters does not give you any advantages in manual modes, but will only take your time.

Manual modes require creativity - it's not for nothing that manual exposure settings are often referred to as the "creative zone"!

If your camera does not have manual settings(Creative Zone) you can explore the features of advanced auto settings - and use them with success, because creative management exposure usually comes down to choosing a shutter speed or aperture that differs from the standard camera settings offered by the AUTO mode.

How to use exposure creatively?

So, if you want to improve your photos, give them liveliness, dynamism or other effects, you have to forget about automatic modes and get creative with the choice of exposure parameters: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. To help you, I will give you some tips, using which during photography, you will get interesting effects that can "revive" your photos.

Here are some effects that can be created with a creative approach to the choice of exposure parameters:

PART ONE. STATIC EFFECTS.

High key and low key

High key is one of the effects in photography, characterized by the absence of dark details and low contrast of the image. High key usually gives the image a romantic and soft feel.

You can take a picture in a high key using controlled overexposure (usually no more than two exposure units) and, preferably, isolating the subject using an open aperture (small) or

Low key is the opposite of high key. Low key images are characterized by a dark background and a fairly high contrast between light and dark areas of the image. However, the loss of detail in the shadows is still not recommended.

When shooting in low key, you need to slightly underexpose the frame and preferably use a dark background. Low key is usually used when you want to emphasize the drama of the plot.

When using semi-automatic modes, overexposure or underexposure of the frame is possible in the exposure compensation mode [+/-]

Below are three identical shots taken at normal exposure, high key and low key. Think about what emotions and associations you have when you carefully study each of these pictures.

selective focus

Selective focus is a very effective way to give your shot a special charm.

The essence of this effect is that, by controlling the focus of the camera and in manual mode or aperture priority mode, you blur a secondary object so that it does not distract the viewer's attention from the main one, but still remains recognizable.

Take a look at the picture below: here the main subject is undoubtedly the butterfly. However, in the background, we can still make out a child holding this butterfly. Thus, having received two objects in the frame, we can tell the viewer which of them is more important, and which one only complements the plot.

Noise retro effect

You probably already know that high values ​​lead to unwanted objects in your pictures. However, in some cases, the noise in the photo adds quite a certain mood to your scene, while high ISO values ​​​​allow you to shoot in relatively low light with an open aperture or not worry. about the hair.

For example, when shooting elderly people with high ISO values, due to noise, it is possible to give the pictures some retro charm, which goes very well with the main character of the plot.