Can anyone tell me what settings I need to be mindful of when trying to take some high-key photos? Do I need to be sure the majority of my composition has light tones? What do I need to look for.
High key requirements depend on the scene/subject you are shooting. You generally want your whites to be white almost to the point of over exposure. You may want to start out by trying +1EV or simply over exposing by one stop. You can guage your exposure from that point... This shot was one of my first attempts at doing something that would be considered high key...
This is what I love about digital photography! I can take a pretty crappy, extremely overexposed shot and turn it into a fine art "high key" image. (and then, of course maintain that, ahem, that was my intention all along...) Here's an example (original first, then modified final image):
To me a high key image is one of light colors - not a usual shot taken overexposed.
Some of the examples seem to be overexposed shots. Try going to corbis, or gettyimage and type in high key. You'll get a good idea.
Go out in a snowy field when th sky is white, then shoot in B&W. Or some white bowls filled with rice, on an old white painted table. Again this is natural, then you don't have to do anything in photoshop.
Or dress you wife in a nice white gown and have her stand next to a window on a bright day...
I'm more in line with what jon says - it isn't just overexposing any old thing, its finding subjects that are mostly light - but then also exposing them correctly
I'm more in line with what jon says - it isn't just overexposing any old thing, its finding subjects that are mostly light - but then also exposing them correctly
