If you were sorry because you thought that high key and low key techniques were exclusive to an SLR, you are in luck. Today I come to dismantle that belief. It can be achieved with a mobile phone and some tricks (if you want to go deeper into mobile photography, you can't miss the mega guide that we have prepared for you with all the tips and tricks ).
Obviously, we will never be able to compare the result of a photograph taken with a Smartphone to one with an SLR. This is basically because of the difference in the size of the sensor. As much as the quality of mobile cameras have improved to an amazing point, we are still left with some limitations like this. Leaving this clear, I am going to tell you some simple tricks that will help you achieve this impressive effect for your photos. Do you want to meet them? Ok, but I can't start without recommending the mega guide on lighting in photography, in it you will find, in addition to all the information you should know, a lot of tips and tricks.
WHAT IS HIGH KEY AND LOW KEY?
Before we get into it, we have to make a brief stop to explain what high key and low key are, in case you don't know them. It is a photographic techniquebased on lighting that reduces the image to a minimum. The key here is to simplify and minimize the elements, sometimes even taking them to graphic extremes, where the photograph resembles a drawing and thus surprise the viewer with something new, different. Well, although the technique in high key and low key in its purest sense are correctly exposed photos, when it comes to artistic photography and the objective is to move the viewer or cause any kind of internal revolution, you can allow yourself certain licenses to overexpose and underexpose. . Of course, as we always say, the rules are broken when there is a specific purpose and an aesthetic sense ;).
HIGH KEY
They are very illuminated photographs , with white backgrounds , the subject is uniformly illuminated, since it receives light from all sides and the shadows are eliminated by the lighting. Although, as I just commented, if you think it's necessary, you can allow yourself the license to play with overexposure and high contrast, for example, to wake the viewer from their lethargy ;).
The result will be an image with a predominance of high (light) tones of the tonal scale. Ideally, it should have all the tones of the scale, although the high ones predominate. If you look at the histogram, all the information will accumulate to the right.
High-key images are associated with positive feelings, happiness, well-being, peace, joy, purity, sweetness, tenderness, etc., and can compose a magical scene. This technique is very suitable for female nudes, baby photos, family photos, floral motifs, etc., and is widely used in advertising. You will have already found out why.
LOW KEY
On the contrary, low key photographs are those that seduce through mystery, insinuation, and subtlety. They are an exercise in interpretation where the imagination can be put into operation to finish completing the narrative. Although it shares the reduction of elements with the low key, they are images full of drama. We are talking about dark photos, taken in low light conditions, not overexposed, but with the light located at a very specific point in the image.
The predominance is low tones (dark) and in the histogram you will see the information concentrated on the left. The backgrounds are black or very dark and receive little or no lighting.
These dramatic images are associated with other types of darker feelings . Tension, suspense, mystery, strength, melancholy, sadness and even aggressiveness. All depending on the reason you are photographing. The low key is ideal for portraits, subtle nudes, textures, silhouettes, etc. With this technique you can highlight lines and shapes.
The drawback in this case may be excessive noise, you can check it in the following image. Remember that one of the biggest limitations of the mobile is the size of the sensor and in low light conditions the quality can be diminished and, if you convert to black and white where the noise is more evident, you can find this difficulty, as in this example:
Despite this small drawback, however, you can still achieve pretty decent low-key images on mobile.
As you will be verifying, it is a technique based on abstraction that fundamentally plays with the feelings of the viewer. They are images capable of creating an enormous visual and emotional impact.
PHOTOGRAPH IN HIGH KEY WITH THE MOBILE
And now yes, we get into practical matters. I am going to tell you how you can achieve the high key with your phone:
Background: make sure a light background, better if it is white, although it can be a bright sky in broad daylight. It depends on the place, the moment or the reason. What is essential is that it is well lit. In high key lighting cannot be missing ;).
Lighting: The subject must also be fully illuminated. So different light sources are necessary, one for the background and one or two for the subject. You can also use reflectors if you only have one light source for your subject. In this case, I had the light from the window, the spotlight and the reflector.
I give you this example so you can see that you don't need a great team to achieve the high key, that you can improvise with what you have at home. Obviously the results can be improved, it all depends on the purpose of the image. If you need a more professional result, when dealing with small or medium objects, the ideal is to work with a light box. What can you buy at an affordable price?or build it yourself (you can see how to do it step by step here ). For these examples I have not used it because I have to build another one, mine did not survive my little beast ;). Lesson learned, tissue paper in my case was not a good idea :(. If you are going to build one and you have small children, keep it out of their reach or… build it with fabric!
However, with the scheme above I photographed the lilac flower (although it's hard to believe ;)), the first image that illustrates this article.
For larger subjects, you will need to use another type of lighting, continuous lighting bulbs similar to these. If you don't have them or can't get them, you can always play, try and experiment with small items. Or with window, exterior and reflector lights.
You will have to be careful, because the mobile tends to overexpose the directly illuminated areas. Diffusers can help you in this task ;). The light box will also help you better control the lighting.
White balance: if you are lucky that your Smartphone supports the RAW format and you shoot with it, you can forget about white balance. However, if this is not the case, try to use white lights, or adjust the white balance. If the automatic works well for you, go ahead, if it is not the case, try to adjust it. In the edition you will be able to retouch it, but sometimes it is not possible to correct it completely. So it is convenient that you try to achieve the most neutral image possible from its capture.
Exposure: try dodge at least one point.
Idea: if you have a macro lens for your mobile, try to take macro photos in high key, you can achieve very interesting results.
Oh, and a very important tip, don't forget to clean the lens before taking pictures!
Finally, you can edit your photo, for example, in Snapseed ( iOS/ Android). Use the Curves tool to modify the exposure and the Brush to dodge the background.
PHOTOGRAPH IN LOW KEY WITH THE MOBILE
To photograph with the mobile in low key, keep in mind the following aspects:
Background: you need a very dark or black background. Although if it is not possible there is a trick. If you move your subject away from the background and the background is not lit it can appear much darker than it really is.
Lighting: there should only be one light source directed at the area you want to highlight. And this light source should not illuminate the background at all. You can turn an unfavorable situation from a lighting point of view to make your image low key. Problems can be turned into opportunities ;). Ideally, the light source should be small in size compared to the subject to be portrayed, in this way it will be much easier for you to direct it to the area you want. One trick is to cover the natural light from a window with black cardboard, in this way you can reduce it and direct it.
White balance: As with low key, remember to check it.
To edit your photos in low key you can also use Snapseed and, in this case, use the brush to burn the background. Adjust the white balance, especially if you have used a light with a warm or cold color temperature, try increasing the shadows or the contrast. Here it depends on the results you like or what you intend to achieve.
IN BLACK AND WHITE
If high and low key photos tend to have an impact, try converting them to grayscale, especially low key. You will love the results. Pure emotion. Here's how to edit a black and white photo with Photoshop or Lightroom. Although you can also do it from your mobile with Snapseed.
Yes, I know, it's not the same as a high or low key with an SLR camera or similar, but don't tell me you don't feel like trying it. If you don't have an SLR, or you don't have it at hand, or you just like to play and try new things, why stay with the desire?
I had a lot of fun while taking these photos for the article. I hope that you have wanted to try it, with your mobile phone or with your manual control camera. At the end of what it is about is that you let yourself be carried away by your passion, which is photography, and not by the fear of not achieving the desired results or by laziness. Go get your camera, whatever it is! Although first I am going to ask you, if you found this article interesting or useful, to share it on your favorite social networks. Thank you and see you soon.
BDF M
