High-key portraiture We covered several ways of making photos look different in the previous chapter, including ways of cropping your images. However, certain stylistic choices go beyond that. The settings in your camera and where you point it obviously affect your photos, but the long list of options available to you most certainly don't stop there! Two powerful techniques you can use to convey emotions in a photograph are to use high-key or low-key lighting. In high-key lighting, you are aiming to create a very light and airy atmosphere: You're aiming for low contrast and bright tones, a combination that has connotations with light- heartedness, happiness, beauty, and optimism. The particular challenge with high-key photography in general (and portraiture in particular) is to get the lighting right. Although it helps, you don't need to use expensive studio lighting equipment; just make sure that your light is smooth and soft and that the photo is nice and bright without being grossly over- exposed. The idea is to get less harsh shadows than you normally would, to get that dreamy feel we're aiming for. You can do this by ensuring the light comes from all directions. A reflector may come in handy, which you would use to deflect light back at your subject, or use a diffuser between your subject and the light source to ensure nice, soft lighting.