High Key Part 2

by Mickey Rountree

Some of you joined in last night to watch our April program, Lisa Langell’s zoom presentation on high key photography. Those of you who weren’t there missed a good presentation. Lisa covered types of lighting and subjects that work well for high key, and her favorite light is an even cloudy sky that is lighter than the main subject acting as a backlight.

So this morning when I looked out the window and saw cloudy skies, and also saw some pale purple irises blooming, I decided to put her ideas to the test. For 30 years I’ve really considered myself mostly a studio photographer. I like all the control I have over light, background, and composition in my studio. So today I’m comparing my studio results with some shots done outdoors against the cloudy sky. Let’s see which images win. I did an article last year on shooting high key flowers without the comparison.

The Outdoor Setup

I used a camera with a 100mm macro lens on a tripod. I also placed a silver reflector over my lens for an even fill. I found that it easiest to aim the camera at the brightest part of the sky first, and then position the flower where it needed to be. The flower was held in place with a Wimberly “Plamp” which is standard equipment for flower photographers.

This was my first set up. While the light worked, what I couldn’t control was the breeze, the enemy of flower photographers worldwide.