Natural High Key?

[Johann29]

well thing is. me and my photographer buddies had just had an arguement.

to them high key is "limited" to shots in a studio using 3 or more lights that has an overexposed background.

i told them high key is a low contrast with soft shadows photo but it isnt limited in a studio.

so is it possible? using only windows?

[deckitout]

take a model, place them in front of a window that is bright, expose correctly for them, even over expose for lighter skin tones, the background will be blown out.

Take them outside on a bright day, use a 2 stop diffusion panel to reduce the light on them, compose with sky in the frame and your likely to get a background two stops overexposed, on a cloudy day you will get a blown out high key background

[RobertAsh]

Your buddies are confusing "what high-key is" with "how high-key is often done". The two are different things even though the image winds up looking the same.

All high key means is that you have no dark shadow areas caused by the lighting, only highlights and mid-tones, often light midtones. You can even have details in the whites. It's just that you don't have large (or any) areas that are dark due to there being shadow areas caused by the lighting.

You can even take a high-key photograph of a black telephone as long as it's pretty much shadowless in a light or white setting.

[Johann29]

thanks for clearing it up. its because they have been in photogrpahy in film days while i just started 2 years ago and they also took basic and advance photography classes that they feel that they dont need to listen to me. they are pretty close minded about photography when it comes to technicals.

[Kraellin]

here's some examples of what some folks consider 'high key lighting': http://www.google.com/search?q=defin...w=1358&bih=678 . strictly speaking, i wouldnt call all of those 'high key', but most are.