How To Do Low Key Lighting

If you move the light around to the side into a short lighting position youll see the.

How to do low key lighting. The relative strength of key-to-fill known as the lighting ratio can be measured using a light meter. Move the light to the side. For low-key lighting you need to limit the ambient light in your scene and closely control your light source.

In this first shot youll see the model against the wall photographed with a butterfly. To get the maximum desired effect make sure you do not shine any light on the subject and the background. You can achieve this effect indoors with studio equipment or some ingenuity and outside at night in a dark area with a well-placed light.

As in high key photography you can also use natural light for your low key photos. Because very little will be visible in a low key image it is important to carefully consider where you want the light to fall. The simple answer to lighting low key with natural light is to shoot by the window.

If you see the light bouncing off the walls consider using heavy curtains. To get the best out of your Low Key shot you need to bear in mind illumination and elimination. Low-keys transition from highlight to shadow is much quicker and more dramatic and harsh.

Add a grid to your. You can also use strategically placed black fabric to reduce light and control whats bouncing around. The Replica Michael Anastassiades IC Lights Are Inspired By The Work Of Contact Jugglers.

Low key lighting has a higher lighting ratio eg 81 than high-key lighting which can approach 11. Contrary to high key lighting which aims to minimize shadows low key lighting aims to increase contrast through the use of shadows and dark tones. Low key lighting is the exact opposite of three point lighting.