As part of wet photography, we learnt about studio work with film and as part of this we looked at low key lighting especially in the work of George Hurrell. George Hurrell was a 1930's and 1940's hollywood photographer who was one of the first to photograph what is now known as glamour photography although as it was the 30's visual content is minimum. Although he made major contributions to glamour, his main style of work was portraits. His clients where hollywoods best including Norma shearer, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Hurrell's instantly recognisable work was based heavily on the dramatic lighting which is known as low key lighting. Low key lighting is a lighting effect which creates a high contrast image and a chiaroscuro effect within the image, which accentuates the contours of the subject with deep shadow and bright highlights usually on one side of the subject. Average photographs are created with a three light set up which includes a key light, fill light and back light... where as a low key lighting set up includes a key light and either a fill light or more often than not, just a simple reflector, which is used to control an areas contrast. Low key lighting has a higher lighting ratio such as 1:8 compared to a high key lighting ratio of 1:1. Low key lighting works best in a studio or under very controlled environments as this effect works best for potraits. During this project, I learnt alot about studio lighting and the set ups needed to create a low key lighting effect of which I think will be extremely useful in the future. Also, I learnt about light ratios which is really important and useful. Below are a few images from my low key shoot...
The first image is the fully exposed contact strip for my negatives... the exposure time was five seconds.
This is my final print before I experimented with the magenta filter, it is the complete shot... I am very happy with this image as I think it has worked quite well. The exposure time for this shot was three seconds. This image is a hurrell replica and not my own set up as I reproduced the set up of which I thought was used to create the original image.
This is the same shot and negative as the previous image although for this shot, I have enlargered and printed a specific part of the negative to create a close up shot. Again, this is before I have used the magenta filter, the exposure was five seconds. I am pleased again with this image as I think it has worked well. Although the original image was a replica this close up image was that of my own ideas.
This is a different shot, although for this image I have experimented with the magenta filter. I increased the filter to seventyfive and increased the exposure time to seven seconds. I think it came out quite well and I am pleased with the outcome. Again, this image is a re-created attempt of a Hurrell image.
This is again the enlarged negative only this time I have used the magenta filter... still at seventyfive although the exposure time was thirteen seconds. I am very pleased with the outcome as I think it is a good example of low key lighting.
The difference about this shot is that it is my own shot, pose and set up where as the other's where Hurrell replica's. This is the complete shot and I have used a magenta filter although it is only set to fifty and the exposure time was five seconds. I am very pleased with this image as it is my own set up and it has came out the way I intended and I feel works really well and also is a good example of low key lighting.
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