High Key lighting work diary

In this shoot I attempted the high key lighting technique. The image above illustrates how I set up my shoot in order to put this technique into practise. I had to use white background and also used two back lights behind the subject which pointed at the reflectors which project the light onto the background further, ensuring that there are no shadows visible. I then had two soft boxes at the front of the set which enlightened the subject and then I set my camera to F16 to make sure that there were minimal shadows on the model also. When shooting I mostly shot in a portrait orientation, making the subject pull a range of poses, most of the time looking directly at the camera.

I feel that this attempt at high key lighting is quite successful as I have effectively used the high key lighting set up in order to make the background pure white. I set my camera to F16 which was the correct aperture level. Also I shot in the portrait orientation, capturing the subject from their chest upwards. I ensured that the model was looking directly at the camera as do most of the models do in the photos I found in my image bank. In order to improve this image more I feel that I could make sure that the model is topless, allowing the collar bones and body frame to be seen. Also I feel that I could use a female as the subject and then expose her a little more, making her skin look much lighter and perhaps introduce makeup order to introduce colour and femininity.

When taking this second image the camera was set to F11 which meant that more light was let into the camera, meaning that the image would be more exposed to the light. However, in this case I feel that the outcome is slightly too over exposed as the outline of the t shirt can hardly be seen. To improve this I could lower the aperture level and also lower the saturation levels to eliminate the orange glow of the subjects skin. On the plus side I feel that the way in which the composition is used is very effective.

Progression

I feel that the technique of high key lighting would be very useful for my product as it very effective in intensifying colour in a photo. I would use this technique and apply colourful make up or paint to the subject which would stand out from the light skin and background. Also I could create specific colour schemes with costumes, makeup and props and even could alter the colour of the subjects eyes, ultimately creating a certain connotation, 

High Key - Straight Images

high key lighting contact sheet

High Key Lighting - Image Bank

In the following images the technique of high key lighting is used, this is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. High Key lighting reduces the contrast of light, minimising shadows and enlightening the whole image, with a range of light tones and whites and not very many blacks or mid-tones. High key lighting is often used in fashion and portraiture with light backgrounds and is often associated with a feminine  or youthful approach.

These two images both are organised in a portrait orientation, capturing the model from around the shoulders upwards. Due to the high key lighting technique both of their backgrounds are white, which allows the subjects to stand out. In both cases minimal shadows can be seen, in the left image there are some shadows on her fingers/hand and on the right image there are some shadows on her cheeks and neck. The rest on the subjects skin are very light, in the right image this has been enhance by the makeup, ensuring that she herself is white. Due to the skin and most of the image being so pale and light, this allows the coloured parts of the image to be intensified and exaggerated. In both cases makeup is used to introduce colour and also the colour of the eyes are enhanced. 

These two photographs provide a very feminine feel, both models are standing slightly side on with there head turned and looking directly at the camera with an intense facial expression. In the portrait composition it seems as they are not wearing a top so the collar bones and frame of their bodies can be seen through the slight shadow and highlights. Once again makeup is applied to add colour but in these cases it is applied on a much smaller scale. Small amounts of eye shadow and mascara have been used to ensure that the eyes stand out. Both backgrounds are light but the right images background is slightly off white, to compliment the colour of the subjects skin. In the left image a prop has been used to introduce a sense of colour, an accessory made out of flowers is being worn, which also contributes to the sense of femininity and beauty.

These two images are slightly different to the rest of the images as they are both in landscape orientation. They are both front on to the camera and fill up the composition similarly. The subject has been captures from shoulders upwards and also cutting of the top of their heads. In these cases, high key lighting is used in oder to amplify the subjects' youth. White backgrounds are used and also the only strong shadows are on the neck and mouth due to their positions and facial expressions. In the second photograph, the colour of the eyes are enhanced due to the paleness of the rest of the composition