Results and Feedback for the "Low Key" Weekly Photography Assignment

[keithsnell]

Thank you to everyone that participated in the "Low Key" assignment.  The guidelines for this assignment were to create a “low key” image, emphasizing dark tones while still attempting to retain detail in the image.   The assignment description explained that "low key" techniques are often used to impart an ominous or mysterious feeling to an image or used to convey drama or tension.  I recommended trying to keep the majority of tones in the lower half of the histogram, concentrating the tonal values in Zones III and IV, since zone III is considered the darkest zone where we can reasonably expect to see clearly visible detail in the image.

Although there were many great images submitted for the assignment, the ones I found most inspirational were the ones that used a "low key" tonality to impart or emphasize a "mood" for the image.   Michele's Waiting to be played was just such an image, with the dark tones reinforcing the forlorn and lonely feeling of the guitar "waiting to be played."  I also love the way Michele "painted" the light on the center of the guitar, letting the light on the remainder of the guitar roll off into the surrounding gloom.  I've awarded this image Editor's Choice for Artistic and Technical Merit.  Awesome image Michele!

Waiting to be played
Editor's Choice for Artistic and Technical Merit
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder

Michele's image of An Apple was a great composition with nice soft light, and I loved the negative space in the image; however it didn't "connect" with the same feelings as her guitar images.

An Apple
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder

Michele's Guitar image was another image with great lighting; however, the composition just wasn't as strong as the other two.  I liked seeing the complete guitar (or at least illusions of the complete guitar) in her Waiting to be played image.  The crop on her Guitar image seemed just a bit arbitrary, and left me wanting to see the rest of the guitar (or at least to the end of the fret).

Guitar
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder

Thank you to everyone that voted for my Black Angus image for People's Choice.  Although I was initially frustrated that the cow just didn't follow directions well, and I didn't get the crop I wanted, I enjoyed the "simplicity" of the image.  I love how our minds "construct" reality from only a little bit of information.  In this case, only a very small portion of the cow is highlighted, yet we instantly recognize this as a cow.

Black Angus
People's Choice
Photographed by Keith

My image of A Cow's World was more an experiment in trying to make a low key image out of one that really wasn't low key to begin with.  I had noticed on other successful low key images, that the saturation really needed to be bumped up in the lower tones in order to impart a "rich" feeling to those parts of the image.  I was somewhat successful in doing that for the dirt and grass in this image, but again it was mainly an experiment in post-processing techniques.

A Cow's World
Photographed by Keith

Sheila's Bouquet image was a very nice composition, with beautiful soft lighting; however, I wondered if this image might have been more successful as a "high key" image?  Or was there something that was supposed to be inferred about the circumstances surrounding the bouquet?

bouquet
Photographed by Sheila Ancheta

Sheila's Sweet Chilis image was my favorite of her submissions.  I agreed with Dave's (prairiedust) comment when he said "I love that composition and the way the lighting supports it."  I thought the lighting was wonderful for this composition, and it really did seem to "support" the basket that was leaning slightly into the light.  I did wonder if the "dead space" on the right side of the composition contributed anything, and wanted to propose an alternative crop.  (I know, it is a bit inconsistent to say I like the "negative space" in one image, and then dislike the "dead space" in another image.  I think its all about the "balance" of the composition and whether or not the negative space contributes to the overall balance or feel of the image.  This is definitely a subjective area.)

Sweet Chilis
Photographed by Sheila Ancheta

Here's the proposed alternative crop:

Sweet Chilis
Photographed by Sheila Ancheta, alternative crop by Keith

I also question the effectiveness of the "dead space" on the left side of Shiela's Recados image, and wonder if I would feel differently if the light on the tomato was more "rounded" and showed more of the tomato into the shadows on the left.   The lighting in this image was a bit "harsher" than in her other images, although this does make for an image that is just a bit different, and maybe a bit "spicier?"

Recados
Photographed by Sheila Ancheta

I loved the wonderful rich colors in Dave's (prairiedust) Bunge Soybean Plant - color image, and it was very successful at evoking memories of similar scenes in pre-dawn light.

Bunge Soybean Plant - color
Photographed by Dave Leiker

I was surprised that the "black and white" version of this image was even more successful at evoking memories of pre-dawn industrial scenes.  The slight color cast, especially in the lights, was very effective at suggesting the color cast from mercury-vapor lights in similar scenes I've experienced in the past, while the desaturated colors in the remainder of the scene were a better match to nighttime "memory colors."  It was very interesting to be able to compare these two images side-by-side.  Although the colors in the first were more eye-catching, I think the black and white version was more successful at awakening memories of similar scenes from my past.

Bunge Soybean Plant - BW
Photographed by Dave Leiker

Michele's Cabin image was another composition that very effectively used low key tones to reinforce a mood or feeling in the image.  As Marilyn said in her comments on the image, the tonality imparts "A definite feeling of bleakness!!"  Great job using the tonality to help "tell the story" Michele.

Cabin
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder

Marilyn's image of Stained glass was a great low key capture of that scene.  Just out of curiosity, I adjusted the exposure on the image, and although adding + exposure compensation made the colors more "pleasing" overall, it definitely changed the "tone" of the image, and made it more "merry" than the deep rich tones in this rendition.  This is definitely a great piece to study the effect of changes in tonality on the "mood" of a scene.

Stained glass
Photographed by Marilyn McKinney

Marilyn did a wonderful job photographing the King of the fireplace in the image below.  I love how the artist was able to reveal so much character in the wood, and think Marilyn did a wonderful job using the available light to photograph this subject.  The warm light from the lamp makes it feel like there is a toasty fire crackling in the fireplace.  What a beautiful image of a wonderful piece of art.

King of the fireplace
Photographed by Marilyn McKinney

Thank you to everyone that participated in this assignment.  Viewers are encouraged to respond to this thread describing why you like a particular image, or think it was particularly successful at meeting the guidelines of the assignment.

Keith

[Janet Black]

Throwing in another opinion :-)  I liked Michele's 'Guitar' picture the best of the two and really liked the crop as she caught the 's curve' of the guitar and the essential elements to make you realize it was a guitar without having to put the whole guitar in the image.  I loved the light on that shot too.  That shot ("Guitar") made me want to pick up the guitar and play more than the one she titled 'waiting to be played'.   Both shots were beautifully done.

[Michele]

I have had great feedback from all of you and I just wanted to say thank you because it is so motivating.  Keith, you are awsome with all the time you spend on each and every photo you receive.   Your cow photo is beautiful.