My Ideas

Portrait Photography
Cosmetic / make up - high key lighting
Theatrical make up - high or low key lighting

Fashion Photography
Glamour / seductive - low key lighting
Glamour / class - high key lighting


Product Photography
Food - high key lighting
Jewellry - high key lighting

My Product Images

This was one of the first images I took durin the product lighting session. I feel that this is one of my strongest as I like the composition where things are cropped intentionally and the dark shadow on top of the braclet contrasting with the highlights on the side. I think the background could of possible done with being abit lighter as it looks slightly too grey.

I like the slight shadow with this image that is hilighted by the line of light underneath the Dior braclet. I also like the composition of this image with the bottle being slightly off centre to the left but I think I should of considered extending the image to the left slighly to ensure I didnt crop out the end of the braclet.

This was one of the images that I took which I didnt like as the bottle looks as though its slanting to the left abit which was not intended. I like the idea of having space around the objects but feel that there is too much space and background within this image.

My High Key Images

My Low Key Images

This is a selection of images from my low key lighting session. I used little lighting creating dark shadows on the side of the face to create a triangle beside the nose and under the eye (shown clearly within the top and bottom image, not so much the middle). I like these images as the give character to the image an make it appear dramatic. I dont think the middle image works as well as the other two as the light on the left side of the face is too bright.

High Key Lighting Information

In high key images light tones donminate. Dark tones are eliminated or reduced by careful selection of the tonal and subject brightness range of the subject matter. Soft diffused lighting from broad light sources are used to reduce all shadows. Backgrounds should be flooded with light and over exposed to reduce detail. Increasing expose beond 'normal' by up to two stops ensures that all the tones are predominatly light. Hard edges and fine detail can be reduced by use of a soft focus filter. When using black and white film skin imperfections can be reduced by using an orange or red filter. A bright background palced close to the subject will also soften their outline. Even though the quantity of light used to create high key is large the actual lighting ratio is small (1:1).

Common Lighting Ratios

RATIO - STOPS DIFFERENCE - DESCRIPTION

1:1 - No Difference - Flat lighting
2:1 - 1 Stop - General colour photography
3:1 - 1 1/2 Stops - General Black and white photography
4:1 - 2 Stops - Dramatic lighting, low key
8:1 - 4 Stops - Very dramatic lighting, low key

Low Key Studio Lighting Techniques

In a low key image dake tones dominate the photograph. Bright highlights punctuate the shadow areas creating the characteristic mood of a low key image. The position of the key light source for a typical low key image is behind the subject (or behind and to one side). This creates deep shadows. The strong back light captures spectacular hilights around the rim of the subject. Selective fill light is ten used the increase the subject brightness range to a level that will give an average expsoure. The decision concerning appropriate exposure usually centres around how far the exposure can be reduced before the hilights appear dull (underexposed). The shadow areas are usually devoid of detail when this action is taken unless a certain amount of fill is provided. The lighting ratio is relativly high compared to high key (8:1).

Butterfly Lighting..
Is achieved by positioning the main light directly in front of the subjects face and adjusting the height to create a shadow directly under, and in line with,the nose. This style is best suited for subjects with a normal oval face and is considered to be a glamorous style of lighting best suited for women, It is not recommended for use with men because it has a tendancy to highlight the ears - creating and undesirable effect.

Rembrandt Lighting..
Rembrandt lighting is obtained by combining short lighting and butterfly lighting. The main light is positioned high and on the side of the face that is away from the camera. This technique produces and illuminated triangle on the cheek closest to the camera. The triangle will illuminate just under the eye and not below the nose.