Hi-Key

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Welsh girl

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Beth Cox
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Hi guys .... do you mind taking a look at the below images....

I'm relatively new to the photography world and have been experimenting with Hi-key .... or should I say struggling!!!

The first is a success in my eyes!!

IMG_8119_3509.jpg


this one however not so.....

IMG_8699_4176.jpg


and the last one is my fave....

IMG_8420_3808bw.jpg


Does anyone have some tips/tricks about success with hi key?? I've a canon 400d, 2 interfit lights with daylight photography bulbs, the lastolite hilite background and vinyl train. My 'normal' set up is one light left side lighting the background, and the other off camera right lighting the subject, do you think I would benefit from a third light so I could light the background internally as you can with this ??

Many thanks
Beth
 
Hi Beth (from just around the corner!)

Cant really help alot with the hi-key setup but sure others will be able to.

As you say the middle one is rather grey in the background i think it needs washing out with more light either internally within the hilight or externally shone onto it; did you check the setting on the light hitting the background in the middle one was it turned down at all compared to the other two? Have you tried using the light that you would normally externally light the background but internally, guess this might also depend on which size hilight you have as to whether the light is powerful enough to be used internally and flood the interior of the hilight to give even lighting.

Anyway like the last one too but there are still some grey bits in the corners.

Kev
 
The top one isn't actually high key, you just got the background white, which isn't the same thing.

The second one is just underexposed.

The third one is close to being high key.

High key is where all parts of the subject are lighter than middle grey - in other words, there are no dark tones. Low key is the opposite.

If what you want is high key then you can manage with the lights you have. If you want the background pure white then it would be better to get an extra light for the background, so that you can get more even lighting on it - even lighting will allow you to overexpose it less, and so avoid image degradation for overlit parts affecting the edges of your subject
 
if you've got photo shop you can always lighten the backgrounds, it's a bit more work though, I think theres an online photoshop called photoshop express but I haven't used it. I've very quickly lightened the underexposed one just to give you an idea, hope you dont mind :) I like the third one

IMG_8699_41761.jpg
 
cherryrig said:
Just make sure the background is like 3 stops or more brighter than the rest of the scene and subject, then just use a flash to use on the subject ;)
Click to expand...

3 stops is too much - and rather than just lighting the background it'll start to light the subject too unless they are very far from it, if you're lucky it'll just 'wrap' a bit and if the subject is too close to the background it'll blow hair out, rimlight them possibly and cause flare - all of which Garry's referring to above

Go for 1.5 to 2 stops max

DD
 
This is just about the best explanation I have seen on "white background" work as opposed to high key which, as Garry explained is the absence of dark tones in a picture.

http://www.zarias.com/?cat=13
 
I'm with DD. Put 3 stops on the background and it'll be a light source all of it's own. It will start to back light your subject and really give you some flare.

You just need to send the background white. As Dave says 1.5 to 2 stops. Experiment and see which is best.

You can also use the eyedropper tool, if your software has it, to select the background and make it white. Careful though as it has the effect of moving all the tones lighter. However if you just need a kick in the highlights it may do the job for you.
 
Thanks guys for all the tips .... especially liked the link AliB, thanks x
 
Sheep said:
Hi Beth (from just around the corner!)

Cant really help alot with the hi-key setup but sure others will be able to.

As you say the middle one is rather grey in the background i think it needs washing out with more light either internally within the hilight or externally shone onto it; did you check the setting on the light hitting the background in the middle one was it turned down at all compared to the other two? Have you tried using the light that you would normally externally light the background but internally, guess this might also depend on which size hilight you have as to whether the light is powerful enough to be used internally and flood the interior of the hilight to give even lighting.

Anyway like the last one too but there are still some grey bits in the corners.

Kev
Click to expand...

Hi from just around the corner.... quite apt really that I'm welshgirl and your sheep!!! made me chuckle!!
 
cherryrig said:
Just make sure the background is like 3 stops or more brighter than the rest of the scene and subject, then just use a flash to use on the subject ;)
Click to expand...

Could some one explain the above to me. How do i make sure the background is x stops brighter/darker...
 
Take two readings, one for the subject, one for the background, compare the results.
 
3 stops would be the light meter reading Dave. You set the light meter to the ISO and shutter speed of your camera and it gives you the aperture. Light is measured in terms of f stops. The subject may be metered at f5.6 and the background f14. The difference between f5.6 and f14 being 3 stops.

Have a read at Garry's lighting basics thread on here. That probably explains it a lot better. :)
 
Overexpose the background by no more than 2 stops, and only overexpose that much if you have at least 8' distance between subject and background. This distance is necessary because light loses intensity over distance, and if there isn't enough distance then the edges of your subject will be damaged by excess light reflected from the background.

If you can get the light on the background very even then 1/2 stop of overexposure can be enough.
 
AliB said:
The difference between f5.6 and f14 being 3 stops.
Click to expand...

Err. no. The difference between f/5.6 and f/16 is three stops, the difference between f/5.6 and f/11 is two stops, while the difference between f/5.6 and f/14 is 2 2/3 stops.
 
You are talking camera apertures here rather than stops of light as read by an incedent light meter.

What about EV numbers?
EV is an abbreviation of exposure value and is something that's used mostly by professional photographers. It's a combination of the shutter speed and aperture and some meters give the reading as an EV number which is then set on a dial to give the shutter speed and aperture combinations. If you know the EV number you can select any aperture and the shutter speed is adjusted accordingly. It's almost like having program exposure on a meter.

Or read the whole article here on using light meters.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Guide-to-using-a-hand-held-light-meter
 
Not sure what you're on about here AliB

:thinking::thinking::thinking:

It was YOU who first mentioned f-stops as actual numbers, and then made the mistake pointed out by NorthernNikon

We others already WERE talking about EV numbers

Anyway, the upshot is... 3 stops (EV) is TOO MUCH difference and can cause flare or excessive 'wrapping' onto the subject. Which means the background is becoming a light source illuminating the subject rather than just the background

My kiddies set-up is only 2/3 a stop difference as it's a pure white sheet anyway, and the sprogs are usually 6ft away from the background (more or less when the little buggers are running! :lol:)

HTH

DD
 
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