Portraiture - Low Key - Media Make-Up Shoot - 'Sci-Fi'

Low Key Photography

Using Low Key lighting for portraits or still life photography can be very effective in creating ‘mood’ in an image.   Low key photography uses shadows and dark tones to create drama, mood and atmosphere in an image. Unlike High Key photography that requires plenty of light, Low Key requires very little.  The backdrop needs to be dark, while your subject (or particular features of it), needs to be illuminated to ensure it stands out.

The key is to use lighting selectively so that only certain parts of the image are illuminated.  As a photographer you would normally try to avoid intense shadows, but for a low key shoot, you need to arrange the lighting and positioning of your subject, so that the shadows fall in the right place, to obtain the look you are striving for.

                               

My attempts at creating Low Key Images

The media make-up team asked us to assist them with some photographs of their models, which would contribute towards their final assessment.  The subject was Sci-Fi.

My task was to simply produce some photographs which show a full length pose, and some close up images.  We had a very short space of time in which to complete this so I found that I had to really think on my feet.  Luckily, my model was very accommodating and was more than happy for me to have some fun with him.  Capturing him in some silly poses made him more confident in front of the camera.  A while after the shoot, I was thanked for making him feel so at ease, praised for the images that I took, and the team even offered to model for me any time I need them in the future! 

Studio Set-up:  I used a black background, the large soft box light as a main light, positioned to my right at a 45 degree angle to the model – set to number 4, and the light was on permanently, as opposed to being used as a flash light, to ensure the detail in the make-up and prosthetics were captured as fully as possible, but the background remained as dark as possible.  I positioned the model away from the background to eliminate any shadows or lines in the image.

Camera settings used:

 Shutter speed 1/60

ISO100

Aperture F/6.3

The above image was just a practise shot.  I have cropped out the media make-up artist who was straightening the model’s boiler suit. I have captured plenty of detail in the prosthetic ears and face, although there are no catch lights in his eyes as he was facing away from the light. 

This is a similar image to the first in that I have captured lots of detail in the prosthetics and make-up, but I have also captured the catch lights in the model’s eyes. The backdrops are pure black which is the look I wanted to achieve. 

Because the model’s make up and clothing were already so dark in colour, I wanted to try a black and white shot to see how much I could add contrast and to see the highlights in a different way.  The model was facing the soft box light, so there are small catch lights in his eyes, and the light has illuminated his face, hands and arms by reflecting off of the metallic body paint.  I feel that this was one of my less successful photographs as there is too much light reflecting off the face/nose, and the background isn’t black enough, although viewing it in a slightly more creative way, I do like the lighter circular area in the middle of the background as I feel it’s given the image a distressed look.  In future, to remove the ‘hot spot’ of light on the models face, I would either move the model further away from the light, reduce the power on the light or diffuse with a reflector. 

 “Star Gazing”

This image is similar to the previous ones, but I think the light is more evenly spread across the model’s face, which emphasises more of the detail, and there is no concentration of light in any one area which has prevented detail being lost. The model has catch lights in his eyes, bringing his face to life, and although there is a slightly lighter area of the background, it is nice and dark, which is the look we wanted. Next time I do a low key shoot, I would move the model further away from the background so that the background stays as black as I intended it to be. 

Despite facing the same issues with this image as with some of the others, such as a lighter background than intended, I really like this photograph.  The light directed at the model is even, the image shows depth, detail and it shows that the model had fun with his poses. There are even some small catch lights if you look closely enough! I have used ‘smart sharpen’ in photo shop and adjusted the levels very slightly to get the most out of this image. 

This is another example of the ‘fun’ images we took towards the end of the shoot.  The model is closer to the light and there was a little too much light directed at the side of his head, so I adjusted the highlights a little in photoshop.  There are catch lights in his eyes, you can still see the outline of the dark boiler suit against the background and the model has a cheeky glint in his eye.  There is a slight element of depth where he is at an angle to the camera. I have also considered composition in this image and the rule of thirds. 

Below is a selection of the images I captured from the ‘silly’ and more fun part of the photo shoot: