Exposing film for low key?

ChrisR

ChrisR

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Hi all, I want to make some low key interior shots of various objects, available light as I've no flash or other lights (well, I did find a foldable flash in my photo goodies box but there don't seem to be any flash bulbs to go with it! :) ).

I've never really understood how to go about getting a low key effect (or a high key effect, for that matter). I'm assuming the idea is to under-expose the main object, just allowing enough light to highlight some details. But I don't really want to simply take 36 shots and wait a week to find out what happened (although I guess in part I'll have to do that). I'd like to understand the approach a bit better. Any hints? Oh, probably black and white film...
 
Everyone seems to have a different idea of what high key is; some reckon that "low key" and "high key" are synonyms for grossly under and grossly over exposed. My understanding is that a low key image consists mainly of dark tones (and a high key the reverse). On this basis, the exposure is normal - it's the subject and the lighting that give the low or high key effect. There is a general reckoning that a low key image needs a small light area to set it off, and a high key the reverse.

So on my understanding, if you give normal exposure and the effect isn't what you want, it's the choice of subject or lighting that needs attention.
 
trevorbray said:
I'd practice with my Digi first....(yeah I know...Burn the Heretic)..
Click to expand...

Well, film photographers standardly use(d) Polaroid photos to check the lighting and exposure. What's the difference?
 
High key and low key is more about lighting than exposure.
in high key every thing is brightly and evenly lit, though it is impotant to include a few true blacks but few mid tones.
In low key strong blacks and deep midtones are the order of the day but it does require a few important highlights to establis the contrast and show tha it is not just under exposed.

in both cases the exposure needs to hold detail from the lightest to the darkest tones. This is most easily established with a hand held meter.
in both cases if you peg the exposure to place the highlights correctly the rest will fall in place....
if the lighting was right in the firt place....
 
Thanks folks... I think...

if the lighting was right in the firt place....
Click to expand...

Perhaps that suggests the question I should be asking: how to light for low key? (TBF there have been several hints above, thanks guys.)
 
If you were to go into a large dimly lit room and in the corner there was an old lady dressed in black sitting in a chair and knitting to the light of a candle.
the impression would be one of Gloom and darkness relieved only by a few splashes of light on her hands and face.

If you were to take a shot of her allowing your camera to give what it thinks is a correct exposure, it would give a massive increase of exposure to try to give an average mid grey. The result would look nothing like what you had seen coming into the room.
However if you had used an incident light meter pointing from the lady to the camera, It would have pegged the tones as you had seen them. As would taking a reading from a grey card or from your hand held to catch the same light from the candle as you could see from the camera.

Essentially low key lighting tries to imitate such a found scene. so that when you look at it, it shows mostly dark tones but preserves full detail in highlights.
It would be difficult to create such an impression by throwing lots of light at it and under exposing.
Though many early cinema night scenes, supposedly taken by moonlight, were taken in bright sun with a deep red filter and letting the shadows block up by under exposing.
 
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