I've been reading about high and low key and still trying to understand it - happy, no shadow, no contrast. This is my attempt at high key, except I think the box's coloring may create too much contrast. I'm uncertain whether the background can have no contrast (e.g., all white, no shadow) or if that means the object itself (e.g., only white-on-white). Comment or critique welcome - tutorials I've found have helped, but this is still feeling elusive to me.
@heidit@scarlettau@3whiteroses Thanks for the encouragement. @jyokota It's so interesting to see what other's have tried and then to try to figure out how they do this. It was Myrna O'Hare (@sailingmusic) who inspired me with her attempts. But, I still don't really get what it has to do to be high key and if this has all the features (the contrast part is the most confusing to me)
When I was challenged to do a high-key shot last year, I read a lot of tutorials, but they seemed to be varied in what high-key was or needed to be, so I was also a little unsure. My take was that part of the subject and/or background needed to have a degree of overexposure, which means there's often more white than usual. This is a very non-technical description of course, and I'm only an amateur ;-)
Very nice graphic image. This sort of shadowless shot is one of the few situations where I use hdr seriously (as opposed to larking around) because it makes blowing the background away so easy.
In terms of the Zone System, high key shots bunch the zones together towards the white end of the tonal spectrum, but ideally there's still a full range from pure black to pure white. At least that's my understanding, but there are as many different definitions as photographers, probably. Who cares? - this is a success. :-)
@ness50@tulipgirl@automaticslim@seanoneill
Thanks for the feedback re high key. It helps to know I'm not the only one who finds it a little hard to know exactly what 'counts' as high key. @tford@kerristephens Thanks for the kind comments! @ness50 I just googled 'high key' and it took me to several different photography sites, where each seems to have its own definition. The thing that is hardest to wort through is what @automaticslim said -- the idea of the use of the white end of the spectrum. Some of my favorites were white roses and things like that against a white background, with soft fuzzy lines defining the object of the photo.
I've never looked up what the official definitions of high and low key are but I would define something high key if the tones are shifted to the white (high) end of the histogram and vice versa for low key. Quite often this will mean the background is white/black but I quite like a shadow otherwise it looks a bit like it's just been cut out and pasted onto a white background. I would definitely avoid "blowing out" the highlights on the object to retain the detail. I reckon you've done a great job here!
@deanpatrickphotography Thanks so much! Are you thinking, though, that I may have been better off having a slight shadow in this? It does look like I pasted it on (though my goal was to make it look like it was floating).
@jyokota It's so interesting to see what other's have tried and then to try to figure out how they do this. It was Myrna O'Hare (@sailingmusic) who inspired me with her attempts. But, I still don't really get what it has to do to be high key and if this has all the features (the contrast part is the most confusing to me)
In terms of the Zone System, high key shots bunch the zones together towards the white end of the tonal spectrum, but ideally there's still a full range from pure black to pure white. At least that's my understanding, but there are as many different definitions as photographers, probably. Who cares? - this is a success. :-)
Thanks for the feedback re high key. It helps to know I'm not the only one who finds it a little hard to know exactly what 'counts' as high key.
@tford @kerristephens Thanks for the kind comments!
@ness50 I just googled 'high key' and it took me to several different photography sites, where each seems to have its own definition. The thing that is hardest to wort through is what @automaticslim said -- the idea of the use of the white end of the spectrum. Some of my favorites were white roses and things like that against a white background, with soft fuzzy lines defining the object of the photo.
@deanpatrickphotography