HIGH KEY PHOTOS

I'm actually seeking elucidation from some of the more experienced photographers on PN. I seem to

notice that so-called "high key" photographs are quite prevalent these days on PN and getting a lot of

attention. I don't personally like what I've been seeing, and of course that's purely a subjective matter. But

I'm not sure if that's because I just don't like high key or if what I'm seeing is just some current fad and

not actually high key. Can any of you discuss this and point me in the direction of both good and bad high

key shots. A lot of what I see seems to cross the line into what I would consider graphic arts (some

actually look like black and white comic strip), where I'm seeing more white photo paper than actual image

and more unsightly streaks of black acting as effect than photographic detail. As I'm here to learn, I'd love

your thoughts and any examples on the subject. Thanks, folks.

Richard Avedon was one of the first to go contrasty and high key, and blow out skin tones completely on his women models. Like any other effect, it should be germane to the intent of the image, and not just to be different or stylish.

There is an unfortunate tendency, I fear, for

gimicks to become fads.

And then fads become trends, and then trends become mainstream. OMG!

We must put a stop to this immediately.

(grin)

It's no different than shooting with horizon lines at 30 deg. or out of focus portraits. Some people just need to break the mold and it suddenly becomes the trend. Part of the problem is that digital allows us to 'play' with images so much more easily on the computer.

We're starting to sell Warhol look-a-likes. Make an action in PS and you too can be Andy Warhol in 5 seconds. When everyone produces wierd photos, I want to be the first to re-invent 'normal portraits'.

Am I missin' something here? The photograph shown has blown highlights, but it isn't at all high-key.

A high-key image simply has a preponderance of high values on the print. It has nothing to do with blown highlights or extremes of contrast. A good high-key photograph will typically have some low values to provide accent.

Dave is right, there is a misunderstanding about high key. A good example of what high key means is here:

http://www.pbase.com/djarvik/image/52994040

I'm not saying it's a good photograph, it's not really something I care for, but it is high key as opposed to the one above.

Dave and Jeff-- Thanks for the substantive and constructive responses and, Jeff, for the

example. I appreciate it.