hELP WITH bOKEH HIGH KEY

[ocnsprt]

So I have fallen in love with this style of photographs and I have my third wedding at the end of this month and want to shoot it with this style, can anyone point me to some good tutorials or give me some direction because my attempts to try the technique stunk and my attempt to find instructiions were so far unsuccessful. I want to do somewhat high key shots with great colors and details and a nice bokeh, like this local photographers work, I am just a little lost. http://garrettdavisphotographyblog.com/
his work is beautiful and I want to create a wedding album like his. so suggestions?

[bcummings88]

I would assume that it is a lens with a large aperture (50mm f1.2). Seems like the logical answer but I may be wrong.

[zona5101]

There are a lot of nice images on his site. Some look PP and others less so. My suggestion would be to post a picture of one of your attempts. Describe what you wanted and we can help you get from point A to point B. Conversely, select one of Garrett's images. Describe what specifically you like and we'll see if we can decompose the picture to its elements.

[PrimeTime]

Originally Posted by ocnsprt

So I have fallen in love with this style of photographs and I have my third wedding at the end of this month and want to shoot it with this style, can anyone point me to some good tutorials or give me some direction because my attempts to try the technique stunk and my attempt to find instructiions were so far unsuccessful. I want to do somewhat high key shots with great colors and details and a nice bokeh, like this local photographers work, I am just a little lost. http://garrettdavisphotographyblog.com/
his work is beautiful and I want to create a wedding album like his. so suggestions?

Most High Key photos are backlit.............have you tried backlighting the subject and turning up the exposure comp. and possibly a little fill flash?

[ocnsprt]

I have tried several different things to achieve it, and sometime I will get a shot that is moderatly like this style, but its by chance, and not because I know what I am doing. I am trying to learn, on my own, how to adjust for lighting and how to better use fill flash, but I am afraid I really need someone to get out and show me. Here is a thread with another example of what Id like to achieve, I posted some edits I did for it but the main picture, with the bright background and bright subject are my goal. So if i am at a wedding and dont have alot of oppertunities to adjust my lighting circumstances, what do you recommend? baby portriat- need help with background

[AnnaV]

Could you try shooting with their back to the sun or a white sky and then expose for the person to try and get the background blown out?

[ocnsprt]

Originally Posted by AnnaV

Could you try shooting with their back to the sun or a white sky and then expose for the person to try and get the background blown out?

Yes that is the gener idea, but my issue is that i am having a difficult time exposing for them, and not overexposing the background or blurring the shot, expecially when its a shot were im not close enough for my on camera shot to reach. And in a wedding you have a split second to capture most shots so you cant really play a whole lot with the settings in the moment, i guess what I really need is to have someone show me how to better use my camera settings, there is still alot I dont know or understand with it! uuughh

[PrimeTime]

Originally Posted by ocnsprt

Yes that is the gener idea, but my issue is that i am having a difficult time exposing for them, and not overexposing the background or blurring the shot, expecially when its a shot were im not close enough for my on camera shot to reach. And in a wedding you have a split second to capture most shots so you cant really play a whole lot with the settings in the moment, i guess what I really need is to have someone show me how to better use my camera settings, there is still alot I dont know or understand with it! uuughh

I'm not a wedding or portrait photographer........i mainly photograph wildlife. I do know what it's like to have a split second to get a shot though. Plain and simple you have to be prepaired for the shot before hand. This is the setup i use alot.

Try setting your camera up for aperature priority mode(set aperature for proper depth of field for subject)---- Spot metering---focus drive on One Shot (w/3.5s burst)---Iso high enough to give a good shutter speed.

The iso is the only thing you will have to keep an eye on. As lighting changes, you have to keep checking if you have enough shutter speed, and bump the iso when needed.


Meter off the subjects face----hit the meter lock button (if you don't and recompose the shot , the camera will meter off where ever the center dot is.)----focus on the eyes---recompose the shot ---shoot-----Check histograms and photo----adjust exposure compensation if needed.

It really depends on HOW backlit your subject is, as for how much exposure comp. you will need. To check just shoot a static object in the same lighting and make adjustments for that. Then you will be spot on(or really close) when its time for your subject.


Good luck.........hope this helps.

[RexK_Cozumel]

First off there are not any high key images on the site that was linked. They were just properly lit and exposed images.

Originally Posted by PrimeTime

Most High Key photos are backlit.............have you tried backlighting the subject and turning up the exposure comp. and possibly a little fill flash?

Secondly... huh?!?! Back lighting a subject has little to do with high key photography.

A high key photograph is one where a vast majority of the tonal values fall into the top third of a histogram. This lowers the contrast of the image since now a majority of your tones are compressed into the top third of the histogram however any other tones in the image will really stand out. A lot of people think by over exposing an image you will get a high key photo. This is not true at all. A proper high key image is made through careful lighting and lighting ratios.

Here is an example image of a good high key photo.



So to answer the OP's question. if you want to get images like the ones you linked to then get some light modifiers/lights or carefully position you subjects so that they are lit properly. then measure exposure of the the background and adjust the power of your lights to light the subject to match.

[ocnsprt]

Originally Posted by PrimeTime

I'm not a wedding or portrait photographer........i mainly photograph wildlife. I do know what it's like to have a split second to get a shot though. Plain and simple you have to be prepaired for the shot before hand. This is the setup i use alot.

Try setting your camera up for aperature priority mode(set aperature for proper depth of field for subject)---- Spot metering---focus drive on One Shot (w/3.5s burst)---Iso high enough to give a good shutter speed.

The iso is the only thing you will have to keep an eye on. As lighting changes, you have to keep checking if you have enough shutter speed, and bump the iso when needed.


Meter off the subjects face----hit the meter lock button (if you don't and recompose the shot , the camera will meter off where ever the center dot is.)----focus on the eyes---recompose the shot ---shoot-----Check histograms and photo----adjust exposure compensation if needed.

It really depends on HOW backlit your subject is, as for how much exposure comp. you will need. To check just shoot a static object in the same lighting and make adjustments for that. Then you will be spot on(or really close) when its time for your subject.


Good luck.........hope this helps.

thanks, this does help alittle, and I am going to g out and try it this afternoon and see what I can come up with. Its difficult becuase I am a visual learner and i do much better when someone can show me what to do as tehy explain but its hard to find photogs in my area with experience and a good understanding of their camera that dont charge an arma nd a leg to do some one on one teaching.

Rex thanks I undersstand now the difference, thank you for clarifying. So i guess I am looing more for a properly expsosed photograph not a high key one. Now I am curious, when I take photographs, they tend to look just as they do in real life, and to me that seems to be proper exposure, but these images on garrettes site look very different from the actual real life images because they are much brighter and the colors are full of light (if that makes any sence) so are his pictures over exposed or is there another term for that techinique, or are my photos under exposed???