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Thread: #30 - High Key - Congrats Denise (DDT0725)

  1. #11
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    Thanks, Mark!

  2. #12
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    Haven't really done this much before, so it was an interesting experiment. Unfortunately, I tend to overexpose a lot in-camera (like when I forget to change from M to Av, or i'm on Tv at slow-shutter and go outside into the sun with an f/1.4 lens wide open (i'm looking at you, Samyang 35).
    So I've played around with a few photos, this first i call "Polar Bear in a Snowstorm":


    Silliness aside, this Penguin was already a bit over-exposed in camera, was through glass using a CPL indoors, EF 50/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/60s iso3200, so already not the best shot. Just did some simple curves on it, then a 10-pixel blur to de-noise and cropped out an ugly corner:


    But the last is my entry, same as the last assignment this was taken just outside of where i'm now working for a different project. I though it was a bit appropriate because the piece of machinery was named 'Light' (I presume after Colonel William Light, other bit of machinery were named after other famous SA historical figures).
    It was already at +2 as part of bracketed shots for HDR, then I did some fanciness on it: selected all but the 'LIGHT' text, the orange block and tackles and the red warning light, blurred the rest at 4-pixel radius, then did a first round of curves-adjustment. Then on the whole photo did another 4-pixel blur to get rid of the ugly border around the first selection, and a final curves-adjustment. Hardest thing was to actually get the curves high enough to fit in the 'high key' theme but still retain some information on what the hell it actually was (so I hope it's 'high' enough).
    An awful lot of electrons were terribly inconvenienced in the making of this post.
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  3. #13
    Senior Member Mark Elberson's Avatar
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    I have been biting my tongue since this assignment was announced but "high key" does NOT equal over-exposed. So far it looks like qwRad is the most on target.
    Last edited by Mark Elberson; 01-22-2012 at 02:27 AM.

  4. #14
    Senior Member conropl's Avatar
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    Mark:
    You are correct... High Key does not have to be over exposed. I probably brought some confusion into this with my last line in the assignment description. I was trying to get cute with a play on words, and was not intending it to be the main emphasis. But for the most part, people are getting it right here with varying interpritations.

    Pat
    5DS R, 1D X, 7D, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, 24mm f/1.4L II, 16-35mm f/4L IS, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.8, 100mm Macro f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L, 580EX-II
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  5. #15
    Senior Member nvitalephotography's Avatar
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    Mark,

    Is this more of what you are thinking? I'm just learning exactly what high key is.

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  6. #16
    Senior Member Andy Stringer's Avatar
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    Hopefully I've got the right idea with this snow petrel, taken in the Antarctic a couple of years ago.


    5D Mark II, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM @ 400mm, f/6.3, 1/1000s, ISO 100, tight crop.
    Last edited by Andy Stringer; 01-22-2012 at 06:25 PM.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Mark Elberson's Avatar
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    Hey guys. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I should have explained what high key instead of just saying what it wasn't :-)

    Here's a quote from: Master Lighting Guide, by Christopher Grey:

    "Many people think that high-key lighting means overexposure, but that's not the case…"high key" simply means that the vast majority of tones in the image are above middle gray including any shadows. Excluding specular highlights, such as catchlights, there usually is detail in even the brightest areas."

    Every book on lighting that I have read describes high key in this fashion.

    Based on: "Excluding specular highlights, such as catchlights, there usually is detail in even the brightest areas."

    Andy killed it!
    Last edited by Mark Elberson; 01-22-2012 at 02:25 PM.

  8. #18
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    Nice shot, Andy! Looks like the only one of mine that came slightly close to high key is my rose photo! I learn something around here every day!

  9. #19
    Senior Member conropl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ddt0725 View Post
    Nice shot, Andy! Looks like the only one of mine that came slightly close to high key is my rose photo! I learn something around here every day!
    The shot of your dog is a beautiful shot and fits the assingment very well. By definition you want high key to be lite to show whites and grays - very litttle dark shadows and no blacks. Your shot fits this.

    I also think the intent is to produce a picture that is pleasing to someone. That may mean the shot is high key except for that portion that you want people to concentrate on. High key can be achieved many ways, and one of those ways can aslo be to selectively expose portions in order to highlight something interesting. Some creative license should be allowed. In the past, I have not noticed these assignments being rigidly held to a set of rules that fits one type of shooting... so why start now.
    5DS R, 1D X, 7D, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, 24mm f/1.4L II, 16-35mm f/4L IS, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.8, 100mm Macro f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L, 580EX-II
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  10. #20
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    @Mark: While this type of photography (High Key) isn't something that I have an interest in, for this assignment I have been doing some research to see what direction to go. Your comments could be somewhat miss leading to those who have very little experience with it (which I am one). What I have read so far "High Key" isn't about over exposure, one of the tools that can be and is used to create "High Key" is over exposure. While it seems most common for the background to be the part overexposed, many examples I have seen the subject is overexposed as well albeit in a pleasing way.

    Your comments:"Based on: "Excluding specular highlights, such as catchlights, there usually is detail in even the brightest areas."

    Andy killed it!"

    Andy's picture is very good for this subject, nice and clean. From my experience with as many bird shots as I have done I would guess that Andy's background is overexposed. There is very little detail in the background, good detail to the bird.

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