Assignment #5: High Key/ Low Key

This next assignment was a mixture of learning

how to better understand the cameras light meter

and how to manipulate its readings when needed

(just a bit) full zone system is taught in photo 2, and

how to pay closer attention to and choose more

appropriate lighting and tones of subjects so that it

is easier to get a desired look. The students could

choose to either capture a high key (about 90% of

prints tones middle grey or lighter with only 10%

of tones of contrasting low tones) or a low key

(90% middle grey or darker with 10% contrasting

light tones). The students learned how to slightly over-

expose higher key shots to keep those light tones nice

and bright (what most people should do when photo-

graphing subjects in the snow, gotta keep that now

white). And how to under expose to get richer shadows

in the low key shots. I worked with a few more who were

more interested, on how to underexpose then over develop

for increased contrast and tonal ranges. It was great to

see what they all came up with. (More did low key than

high key....could it have been that we were in the middle

of a very cold winter semester? maybe not) But there

were still some very beautiful darker images.

Todd S.

Myron L.

Trent G.

Marie B.

Stefani S.