Low Key Lighting TE Work Diary

In this lesson we were given the task of taking portraiture photographs using Low Key Lighting. We used a shutter speed of 1/125, F-stop 16 ad ISO 200.

As previously said, I really enjoy human photography, I like to be able to explore the vulnerability, the purity and innocence of it all. Sometimes those aspects cannot be displayed, however, in this portraiture lesson I found themes of distance, natural beauty and hidden emotions.

In order to take this photos we were given the ask to set the studio up. Here is a photo of the setup:

After correctly setting up, We proceeded to take the photos. Here is one photo I really liked:

This is the original. 

This is the Edited.

I really liked this photo because it is deadpanned. Her eyes are sharp, focused. To me, it looks like she is trying to tell me something; she is trying to convey an emotion that words couldn't possibly do justice, yet I am to find out which emotion that is. 

I think the edited version is much better, I lightened it up a little bit just so you can see her face a little clearer. I made it black and white because I think that portrays purity a little more.

Unfortunately, I did not like this photo:

The reason I did not like this photo is because the girl is half blinking. I also do not like the lighting in this. Because of the bad lighting and blinking it makes the photo looks unprepared and disorganised. To me, looking at the photo makes me a little nervous, I can just keep picking imperfections out which I should not be able to do. The girl in the photo, is pretty no doubt, however she herself looks too caught of guard.

Progression

Next time, I would like to experiment with using more than one person at a time, maybe making the shots a little more fun rather than just being deadpanned or sad emotions. I would also like to try and explore innocence and human form more, however I know this would be hard to do since most people are not comfortable in their own bodies, and it would not be appropriate to shoot in college. This would have to be an out of class project.

Here are some photos I would like to use as inspiration for next time:

Low Key Lighting Contact TE Sheet

Low Key Lighting TE Straight Images

This image was one of my top 5, the reason or this is because I like the way that the girl is staring out, into distance. She looks natural, though I know the picture is posed, it also isn't. I asked her to just be neutral, and whilst she knows someone is capturing her, it also shows someone trying to cover up a feeling in front of others.

Completely different to the first photo, in this one the girl is  deadpanned. Her eyes are sharp, focused. To me, it look alike she is trying to tell me something, she is trying to convey an emotion that words couldn't possibly do justice, yet I am to find out which emotion that is.

I really like this photo; the hair is curled to  perfection although it is natural. I like the fact that only from the nose down is visible. This to me lets the viewer, view the photo however they wanted. The eyes are the window to the soul, but without any eyes penetrating you, it is up to you to decide on the emotions of the person. And what you decide, is a reflection on you. 

Distance, distance is a common theme though out this shoot. I believe there is something very intriguing about people looking away, consciously or unconsciously. To me, if I cover the eyes, her mouth posture looks happy/posed, however, when I cover her mouth, her eyes seem to be fearful, reserved, looking a little lost. 

This is another photo I liked. I like this one because though you can only see half of the girls face, and whilst her eyes are suppose to be lost in the shadows, the iris (coloured part of an eye) is piercing through. Her eyes look blue, which would be due to the effect I edited in (in actual fact, her eyes are a dragon green).

Low Key Lighting TE Image Bank

I chose this photo because I like the fact that the women is looking up into seemingly oblivion, it allows the viewer to create a whole scenario of their own. I also like the way the womans hair is highlighted in light white tones whilst half of her body bends into the negative space.

I liked this photo because I think it makes the lens stand out really well. It looks bigger than it most probably is, the red lined rims stand out whilst the structure looks strong.

I love this photo because again the woman is staring out into what only she knows.  The shadowing enhances her cheek and collar bones, also her jaw line , though her jaw line is only visible from halfway and out as the start it hidden in the negative space. This photo to me screams vulnerability, but the beautiful kind.

This image stood out to me quite a lot. This is because I feel like the mans stare is hard,  cold, strong, it feels as if he is looking right through me and whilst that fascinates me it also shows how much emotion the photographer was able to capture.

Again, I really like this picture because of , mainly the eyes. The cats eyes area a yellow/ lime, which stand out strong against the ginger fur and negative space. The cat looks focussed, undisturbed and I think that kind of concentration can be hard to capture.

Low Key Lighting TE Definition Post

Low-key lighting makes the most of dark tones and shadows to create images with drama and atmosphere. Unlike high-key photography, which requires plenty of natural or artificial light, a low-key lighting shoot requires very little. The backdrop needs to be mostly hidden in the shadows, while particular features on the subject are illuminated to make them stand out. This means that when you’re shooting low-key portraits you don’t need much in the way of lighting kit – a single flashgun mounted off-camera will be adequate.