Black And White High Key Portrait

The style we are after is a high key black and white headshot.

Black and white high key portrait.

Often there are no pure blacks in the image either as the tonal range is pushed up towards the lighter end of the scale. High key black and white photography properly adjusting exposure and contrast is crucial when post processing a black and white high key image. If you have ever heard the phrase high key or low key in photography you ve probably seen examples of tones taken to the extreme. As you can see from the image below the main characteristics of platon portraits are the tight frame around the model the high general contrast the shadows on the model s cheeks and the white background.

Black and white portrait photography. If your model has an interesting face this is the perfect style for them. High key landscapes can be very poetic and they usually work best in black and white. A good black and white treatment has a way of stripping unneeded information from an image helping you to emphasize specific elements to your viewer without the distractions color can provide.

High key is an aesthetic achieved by exposing to create a bright image such that some elements of the image may even be pure white. Portrait photography is a genre where black and white images can really shine. If you re experienced in shooting long exposure landscapes and you already own a neutral density filter you can make amazing high key landscapes by shooting lakes or other large bodies of water. However they can sometimes work well in color especially if you decide to desaturate colors in editing.

Because of how accessible portrait photography is it s one of the best ways to start taking black and white. A black and white image of a landscape.