Playing with Light

Playing with light.  That’s what we’re doing this week for Jude’s photo assignment. I took each of my shots three times: as a simple automatic shot, in high key and in low key mode.

It’s probably me and the shots I chose, but in each case, working in high key did these subjects no favours, and simply made them look bleached and lifeless.  Low key however did add some drama.

I looked at my neighbour’s roses in the morning, took a walk at noon, and enjoyed the first of the petunias to show its face in the evening.

Automatic
High key
Low key.
Automatic
High key
Low key
Automatic
High key
Low key

Here’s a little quiz.  Each of these shots is taken in high key, low key, automatic, or in toy – pinhole – mode.  But which one? Have a look at the gallery, before bringing up the shot full size to reveal the answer.

Low key
Automatic
Toy
Automatic
Toy
High key

2020 Photo Challenge #20

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

34 thoughts on “Playing with Light”

  3. How interesting. High key definitely loses out all round in these shots but I do like the low key shots very much. Not that I understand the technical bits though you have piqued my interest. My universal approach is to use my point and shoot or phone on automatic and edit etc. afterwards. Part of me would like to learn how to use a ‘proper’ camera. Sadly I lack the patience so I’ll enjoy your shots (and Jude’s and others) vicariously instead 🙂

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    1. I rarely uses anything but automatic, and I certainly don’t twiddle knobs. But I do have the possibility to switch to various things like low and high key, expressive, impressive etc,, as well as setting specifically for portraits, landscape, water, night etc.

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  4. High key in post processing is rarely successful unless the subject, background lighting etc are nearly there anyway, then it will tweak it a bit further…..

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  5. High key very much depends on the photo. It needs a blank background to show off a subject properly. Portraits work well. Low key is much more usable. The point really is to demonstrate how lighting affects what we see. I don’t understand the toy effect, and is the shrub pinhole!? I have never used that one either. Thank you for your examples, the rose and peony are delightful 😊

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    1. My manual explains that ‘toy’ in this context very oddly means pinhole. It works better in some contexts than others. An I realise that I wasn’t giving high key a fair crack of the whip here. It has its uses, but I was devoid of suitable inspiration.

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  10. oh you have had a proper play with the high and low keys . . .I decided it was a bit beyond me last week as had such an impossibly busy week work wise, and then had a neighbour emergency which took up the rest of my time.

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      1. Fortunately yes, but was a scary 24hrs for her and her family. None of the family live near so it was me assisting with paramedics and packing a hospital bag. Social distancing went out the window! Still both she and I have not been out so we concluded it was probably fine.

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  12. That’s interesting to see with your different settings shown altogether as it has totally confirmed my view that I can save an underexposed photo, but I haven’t yet managed to pull back an overexposed one. It must be something technical with digital cameras, but it a practical lesson learnt as you have shown – overexposure loses all the colour pixels to whites, possibly???

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