Family portraits

Have been practising with my 50mm a lot more recently and did a family photo shoot with the gorgeous Mya, her parents and her grandma. How cute is she?! 

And another day, another family, my family! These next ones were taken at my Aunty and Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. My Aunty got into the very dress she wore on her wedding day, how cool is that?! And here she is with her bridesmaids. (My mum is the gorgeous lady second in from the right) :)

Love this one!

And finally the happy couple! So, if you're looking for some lovely shots of your family, get in touch!

High and Low Key Images

So, what is a high key image and what is a low key image? In short and just to confuse you (!), high key images are low contrast and low key images are high contrast, simples, right?! Well, contrast is a huge factor in both, but in very different ways. Let's start with high key first.

High key images are images that will contain very bright lighting that blow out most shadows. The subject of high key photos will tend to be of a positive mood or of nature and flowers, for example. You could try thinking of it as 'highlighting' a beautiful subject. High key images are also used a lot for advertising, with products on white backgrounds, because our minds believe these will be of higher quality.

High key images are images that really push the highlights of a photograph and contain little contrast. They are usually of a softer subject matter and have a 'happy' feel to them. But beware of over exposing you image! 

Now for low key images. Again they make use of contrast but in a completely different way. Low key images offer a moodier, dramatic angle to your image. Obviously these images will be dark and there should only be one or two highlights to show off the subject. Low key images are easier shot inside, compared with high key images and should not be confused with under exposing an image.

The key to these both sorts of images is referring to, and getting to know your in-camera metering. It will average out the lighting in the whole scene and will therefore tell you to over expose a low key image and under expose a high key. If you are pushed for time, you need to work out if the in-camera meter is being fooled and adjust the exposure by one or two stops either side. But ideally, to make sure you get the correct exposure for what you require in your shot, it is always best to bracket your images.