High Key

What is High Key Photography?

High key photography is when the lighting creates a shadowless image with a blown out/blank background.

This can be created with natural light, photoshop and studio lighting. In this post I will be focusing mainly on the latter (studio)

Below is a diagram of the basic set-up for High Key Studio Lighting. I researched and found that the majority relied on a 4 light set up but it can also be achieved with a 3 light set up too, as demonstrated in the baby image below

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Example of 3 light set up

The above image was achieved using just three lights, 2 x background light, one key light just off centre to the right and a reflector on silver acting as the fill light.  

 

Over the past few weeks we have been experimenting in the studio with various light set ups including high key. I have added a few of my resulting images below for you to see.

I have also taken images at home using natural light and continuous lighting and with a little help from photoshop created the high key effect.

 

 

I love this image, I love the composition, how her whole face fills the frame. There is no use of negative space really, a little to the right has been kept to add contrast to her face and hair against the dark background.

I used photoshop to acheive this although it was slightly overexposed as was taken in the conservatory on a manual setting of ISO 200, f/3.5, ss 1/250

I cleaned up any blemishes (yoghurt lol) around her mouth and added a touch more details to her eyes with the burn and dodge tool, I then adjusted to blk and white and the added a curve layer.

 

 

This image was acheived by true Studio High Key, no photoshop cheating here!!!

The set up was identical to the one above in diagram 1. The modifiers used where a large rectangle soft box on the key light and a meduim square soft box on the fill light. The key light was set up on on f/7. My camera settings were ISO 125, f/8, ss 1/60 with my 50mm prime lens.

I cropped the image and extended the canvas on photoshop to create a large negative space to the models left. I think this image in black and white with the combination of the high key and negative space makes Lydias beauty jump right out at you!

If you wish to know how I extended the canvas on photoshop please comment and I will add step by step  instructions to walk you through it.

 

Lea