How to achieve such lighting?

[chris_shawn]

Hello, how do you achieve such lighting as by Nick Meek here:<br>

<a href="http://www.julianrichards.com/site/gallery/nickmeek/large/nm-

p-full-bass.jpg">Sample photo by Nick Meek</a><br>

<a href="http://www.julianrichards.com/site/gallery/nickmeek/large/nm-

p-full-grill.jpg">Sample photo by Nick Meek 2</a>

<br><br><br>

 

Is this called "high key" photography? How can you make a picture

appear so "light" and still have such vivid colors? Is it all made in

photoshop (and if so, is there a simple trick to do it?)?

 

Thanks a lot!

[wbowman]

As both images were obviously taken under bright sunlight, I doubt there is much that the photographer did to modify the lighting. Instead, I'm sure there was a combination of film choice (not Velvia!) and post-production.

[kevin_hundsnurscher]

They were either overexposed or printed bright.

[henricus]

Chris,<p>

Are you being serious? These shots are obviously overexposed. At least it seems the negative or the scans were. The colors are not vivid. At least they don't appear so on my screen. They look washed out to me.

<p>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo.tcl?photo_id=2931940">Here is an example of a high key photograph.<a/>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Daylight, maybe on a day with high thin clouds. Or poor reproduction. it appears to be

shot on a large format color negative and I have my doubts that any photoshop

techniques were used exceptto match the reproduction to the original prints. Maybe he

used a very powerful fill flash to lighten the shadows.

 

This is not an example what is generally known as "high key" lighting. High key lighing

infers that there are fill and accent lights used as well --usually in a studio with a white

background.

[chris_shawn]

Ok, maybe my example wasn't too good. How about photos from Julia Christe: <a href="http://www.juliachriste.de/">Website</a><br><br>

Please check:<br>

- Series 002, Photo 003<br>

- Series 0010, Photo 001<br><br>

Is this all just overexposed also? Is she just having lucky circumstances (photographing in the desert or on a salty lake)? And is it just shifting saturation and contrast in photoshop? Or is there more behind achieving such a light?

[anupam]

Maybe I am missing something - but why does this appear to be shot on a large format color negative as opposed to a single use 35mm for example?

 

-a

[35mmdelux]

this is definitely NOT high key. The lightness is kind of cool but way overboard on the green color. Yes, this can be acheived in PS very easily.

[gluteal cleft]

The first images you mention just looked overexposed and washed out. The images on Julia Christe's site just have the exposure clipped at the high end - open up Photoshop, go to Levels, and move the white point around, and that will give you a quick-n-dirty example. Curves will let you do it without affecting the rest of the image as greatly.

[ken_hughes4]

"High key lighing infers that there are fill and accent lights used as well --usually in a studio with a white background"

 

no, high key only means that the majority of tonal values are in the lighter range--very few medium to dark values.

[pablovi]

- Series 002, Photo 003

 

On this case, if you expose to the shadow(the side of the cars facing the camera) you are going to get that effect. The way you control the darkness/lightness of an object is with the exposure. If you want a dark blue sky, just expose to the area of the sky that you will like it to look like 18% gray. the darker it is the more saturated(vivid) color it will be