Keeping it Low KeyWriten by Kenneth C. Hoffman
You have all heard of white on white and it certainly has its place.
But black on black has its moods, too. A low key photograph evokes
mystery, night and secrets. Silhouette and shape prevail over color
and light.
In order to separate the subject from the background, an edge light
is in order. Objects lit from behind, hiding the source from the lens
approach the eye in a direct manner, flaunting their power while
reveling in the dark.
Look for subjects dark in color, but having texture and reflective
properties. A wine red satin, a bolt of navy and dark gold tapestry,
crushed velvet in chocolate tones or a black ceramic cup edged in
filigree lace are all candidates for a low key picture.
Face lighting can be from the side - a broad source well masked
against spill light. Small but powerful spots can provide a key light
for emphasis of important detail. An interesting fact is that extra
light thrown on a black background will produce blacker blacks
in the important areas. The reason is that the extra light raises
the exposure curve to include the expanded range of tones near
the top of the curve. Therefore, the blacks are expanded darker
as well as placing more detail in the highlights. In order to ascertain
the correct exposure, read the light from a 10 per cent gray card
rather than from the subject. Bracket for safety.
Careful printing will place the darker skin tones (shadows) just
above black in density, while assigning the true skin tone to a
small key area near the eyes: a triangular area on the cheek or
s diffused highlight on the forehead. All else in the photograph
will be lit well enough to be seen and appreciated but relegated
to the shadow areas. A favorite trick of the masters was to softly
key light an object or secondary interest within the gaze of the
main subject. For instance, a girl holding an apple ready for
paring would be back lit from a narrow window but some of
the light would fall on the apple and knife. Everything else
would be placed in shadow.
A large black umbrella is a handy tool for producing a low key
portrait in medium toned environments. Placed to the right of
the camera just out of range of the lens, the umbrella will deepen
the tones facing and close to the camera. Generally, a soft light
from a broad source like a large window covered with Venetian
blinds for control is ideal for a low key picture. You can make
a safe back light with a large, slim cardboard box , with the top
and bottom knocked out and painted black on the inside. Place
the box over the light, creating a long narrow snoot. Position
the snoot behind and slightly above the subject pointing at the
lens. The same effect can be had with a window masked off
except for a narrow slit near the middle.
Experiment with the composition, turning the subject and changing
the subjects activity for variety. If you succeed, the viewers eye will
be riveted on the subject and there will be no mistaking the mood.
Many of my wedding portraits were taken with a short light
and a dark background. Comments welcome.