What is high key photography?

Guest blog by Sheryn Ellis

High Key images are usually associated with ‘happiness and light’. Generally High Key photographs do not contrast very much as the shadows are suppressed by strong lighting. Although High Key images focus on a lot of white, you should still see detail in your subject as the image is not supposed to be overexposed or washed out.

I set myself the challenge, to take advantage of some Cambodia’s pre-rain grey skies, and practice my High Key photography. Yes, I did find it difficult with some images I was experimenting with to successfully apply the technique as not all images lend themselves to the High Key process. And these images were being done ‘on the run’ not in a controlled environment such as with studio lighting, flash etc.

The two images below were taken against grey skies using spot metering, placing my focus point on the subject and then overexposing by 2 1/3 stops for the image of the girl and 1 2/3 stops for the image of the lotus flower.

 

 

Canon 5D MII Sigma Macro Lens 105mm ISO 250; f5.6 1/1250th
Image by Sheryn Ellis

 Canon 5D MII 24-70mm f2.8L lens at 70mm ISO 320; f 3.2 1/100th
Image by Sheryn Ellis