This week’s assignment is to create impactful high-key images.
What is high-key photography? High key photography is a style of photography that uses unusually bright lighting to reduce or completely blow out dark shadows in the image. High-key shots usually lack dark tones, and the high-key look is generally thought of as a positive and upbeat style of photography.
Here are some baseline settings for high key photography that you can play around with during your high key photography shoot:
- Exposure: Set your shutter speed in order to overexpose your image. This will make sure your photo is adequately lit to achieve a high-key look.
- Aperture: Shoot with a fast, wide aperture.
- ISO: Start with your ISO around 100 or whatever the lowest ISO your camera is capable of.
- Exposure compensation: If you happen to be using aperture priority make sure that you use exposure compensation to ramp up the exposure two to three stops.
High key photography tips
Spread the light. Use as much light as possible and make sure that your light fills the space you are working in. You are trying to achieve an unnaturally lit image, and therefore, you can afford to overdo it with ambient light, or flash.
Try using a bright background, maybe a white wall, or shoot against the sun.
Use shadows. Just because you are trying to reduce shadows overall doesn’t mean that high key photography doesn’t sometimes incorporate shadows as in the flamingo photo above.
Once you have created your images, don’t forget to share your images in Muench University! As always, constructive comments on others’ images are encouraged, and our pros will offer some helpful commentary as well.
