For part of my assignment I've been asked to photograph a piece of fruit/veg in a series of lighting techniques, which are as follow:- HIGH KEY, LOW KEY, BACK LIGHT, TOP LIGHT, 45/45Degree.
i previously attempted to photograph the fruit but was advised that the pictures needed improving so i thought I'd research the lighting techniques and find out a little bit more about them and then try to convey the information I'd found in my pictures.
these pictures below are from one of my sessions in the studio practicing the techniques
HIGH KEY & LOW KEY LIGHTING
Both High Key images and Low Key images make an intensive use of contrast, but in a very different way. When approaching a shoot of a dramatic portrait, the decision of making it a High Key, Low Key or "just" a regular image has great impact about the mood that this picture will convey. While High Key images are considered happy and will show your subject as a tooth-paste poster; Low Key portraits are dramatic and convey a lot of atmosphere and tension.
When looking at a
High Key picture, you will probably notice two things right away. The first thing is that the picture is bright. Yes - to create a high key image you need to set your exposure levels to high values. You will want to watch out, though not to over expose.
The other noticeable feature of High Key images is the lack of contrast. In addition for the tone being bright, you will notice that it is almost even across the scene. This is achieved by carefully setting the lighting of the picture. A third feature, that need closer attention to notice is the lack of shadows in the picture. The shadows cast by the model (or subject) are suppressed by lighting in the scene.
In Low Key images the tone is darker, and the controlling color is usually black. There will be lots of dark areas in the picture. It is very common for Low Key images to give special attention to contour lines, emphasizing them with highlights.
Low Key images are also notable for a great deal of contrast that they display. Most notable is the rim light. A light surrounding the subject illuminating only the contour of the shape. So the contrast is between dark shape and bright contour.
High Key, Low Key and mood - usually, High Key images are considered happy. They convey positive emotions, while Low Key images are darker and present drama or tension.
BACK LIGHT LIGHTING
Back light is a term that is used for two kinds of lighting in photography. Back light can also refer to background light as well as the light that is coming form the back of the subject. there will be times when you come across your subject completely merging into the background and there is no sense of distinction even though you keep the depth of field low.
if you wish to give a three dimensional appeal to your frame then you need to put a back light. A light that will either accentuate the background or a light coming from the back that will differentiate your subject form the surroundings.
If you see the image of the girl, you can see that a distinctive aura around her separates her from the green surroundings. This effect could not have been achieved simply by using a camera flash unit, rather it has been achieved by throwing a light from behind her. This effect has made her look more glamorous and also accentuated the sense of distance between her and the background.
Background lights are also called as back lights. These lights are preferably used to highlight the backgrounds in cases where backgrounds contain details. For instance if you see the picture on your right, the background has been lit properly to bring out the details. In this case again, the background has been distinguished from the subject but instead of throwing light on the subject, t
he background has been accentuated.
(information and pictures were taken from www........)
45 DEGREE LIGHTING(also known as Rembrandt lighting)
Rembrandt lighting is a lighting technique that is sometimes used in studio portrait photography. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector, or two lights, and is popular because it is capable of producing images which appear both natural and compelling with a minimum of equipment. Rembrandt lighting is characterised by an illuminated triangle under the eye of the subject, on the less illuminated side of the face. It is named for the Dutch painter Rembrandt, known for his use of light.
Normally, the key light is placed high and to one side at the front, and the fill light or a reflector is placed half-height and on the other side at the front, set to about half the power of the key light, with the subject, if facing at an angle to the camera, with the key light illuminating the far side of the face.
The key in Rembrandt lighting is creating the triangle or diamond shape of light underneath the eye. One side of the face is lit well from the main light source while the other side of the face uses the interaction of shadows and light, also known as chiaroscuro, to create this geometric form on the face.
The triangle should be no longer than the nose and no wider than the eye. Rembrandt lighting is a combination of short and butterfly lighting-and as such it is actually the eye closest to the camera (on the broad side of the face) that should have the triangle of light. The narrow side is illuminated. This technique may be achieved subtly or very dramatically by altering the distance between subject and lights and relative strengths of main and fill lights. It is a common photography technique.
TOP LIGHTING
I couldn't find much information about top lighting but this is the little bit that i did come across...
Lighting which originates from directly overhead. This type of lighting tends to yield rather ugly shadows under a person’s eyes and nose in the case of portrait photography and so is not commonly used for portraiture. However it’s a good way to light reflective items and is very useful for product photography.
