Project 2

High Key

image

High key is one of the classic looks in photographic portraiture. The look is ‘clean’ and ‘light’ and the images have very few midtones or shadows. The darker tones that remain serve to shape the contours and define important details. If the treatment is clumsily done the image will just look like it has been badly overexposed. To avoid this disaster the final image must display bright highlights that are not clipped (overexposed) and the darker details must have depth and weight.

The camera technique is relatively simple – just photograph your sitter using a large soft light or window light. Choose a light background and ask ...

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