A Lighter Look
The deeper tones of low-key setups allow a little more forgiveness and spontaneity than mid- to high-key setups. However, there are times when a low-key look does not fit. In this instance, my client was not comfortable with darker tones.
Making It Fit My Style
An artist is defined in part by their taste and how they express themselves. My taste does not allow for a stark white background because I find it sterile. When photographing with lighter tones, I look for a little bit of texture, something that might border on high-key but is not exactly there. For these images, I used a David Maheu background called, “Golden Gray.” This is a white canvas with little bit of gold and gray integrated. I use this background if I am photographing a client that is leaning more toward a high-key style.
“My father told me that I was not in the reality business, I was in the flattery business.”
Clothing Selection and Posing
The mother-and-daughter portrait on the facing page is a little more posed than is normal for me. That was, in part, because they were wearing dresses and the mom had a strand of pearls. The dresses and the jewelry reduced the spontaneity of the portrait but added to the classic feel of the image.
While I wanted to feature the daughter, I also wanted the mom to have a significant role. This was achieved by changing the direction of their eyes; I had the daughter look at me while the mom looked down and away. The viewer is drawn to the daughter because of the eye contact. That makes her the focal point of the portrait with the mom as significant, yet secondary, subject.
Another image from the same session.
We’re in the Flattery Business
The high-key vignette and camera diffusion was introduced post-capture. My father told me that I was not in the reality business, I was in the flattery business. To me, there are certain attributes of lighting, posing, digital capture, and sharp lenses that are just not flattering. It is important to know how to mix proper diffusion with sharpening and contrast; they have to go hand-in-hand.
When I use software like Nik Color Efex to soften, the goal is not to make the image mushy. I just want to make the skin glow and ensure that the look is flattering. You must have the vision of where you want to be and know how to use all the tools at your disposal to get you there.