FUJIFILM Logo
  • PRODUCTS
    PRODUCTS
    • Browse
      • Cameras
      • Lenses
      • Accessories
      • Software
      • Help Me Choose
    • By System
      • GFX Series
        • Cameras
        • Lenses
      • X Series
        • Cameras
        • Lenses
    • Group Items ( Link disabled )
      • Compare
        • Cameras
      • About Our Technology
        • Film Simulation
        • X-Trans CMOS
    • B2B Customers
      • Digital Imaging Solution
    GFX Series View all
    Cameras Mirrorless Digital Camera
    • GFX100 II
      GFX100 II
    • GFX100S II
      GFX100S II
    • GFX50S II
      GFX50S II
    Fixed Lens Camera
    • GFX100RF
      GFX100RF
    GFX Series View all
    Lenses Prime
    • GF23mmF4 R LM WR
      GF23mmF4 R LM WR
    • GF30mmF3.5 R WR
      GF30mmF3.5 R WR
    • GF45mmF2.8 R WR
      GF45mmF2.8 R WR
    • GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR
      GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR
    • GF55mmF1.7 R WR
      GF55mmF1.7 R WR
    • GF63mmF2.8 R WR
      GF63mmF2.8 R WR
    • GF80mmF1.7 R WR
      GF80mmF1.7 R WR
    • GF110mmF2 R LM WR
      GF110mmF2 R LM WR
    • GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro
      GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro
    • GF250mmF4 R LM OIS WR
      GF250mmF4 R LM OIS WR
    • GF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR
      GF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR
    Zoom
    • GF20-35mmF4 R WR
      GF20-35mmF4 R WR
    • GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR
      GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR
    • GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR
      GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR
    • GF45-100mmF4 R LM OIS WR
      GF45-100mmF4 R LM OIS WR
    • GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR
      GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR
    Tilt-Shift
    • GF30mmF5.6 T/S
      GF30mmF5.6 T/S
    • GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro
      GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro
    Teleconverter
    • GF1.4X TC WR
      GF1.4X TC WR
    X Series View all
    Cameras Mirrorless Digital Camera
    • X-H2S
      X-H2S
    • X-H2
      X-H2
    • X-Pro3
      X-Pro3
    • X-T5
      X-T5
    • X-T4
      X-T4
    • X-S20
      X-S20
    • X-T50
      X-T50
    • X-T30 II
      X-T30 II
    • X-E4
      X-E4
    • X-M5
      X-M5
    Fixed Lens Camera
    • X100VI
      X100VI
    X Series View all
    Lenses Prime
    • XF8mmF3.5 R WR
      XF8mmF3.5 R WR
    • XF14mmF2.8 R
      XF14mmF2.8 R
    • XF16mmF1.4 R WR
      XF16mmF1.4 R WR
    • XF16mmF2.8 R WR
      XF16mmF2.8 R WR
    • XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR
      XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR
    • XF18mmF2 R
      XF18mmF2 R
    • XF23mmF1.4 R
      XF23mmF1.4 R
    • XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR
      XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR
    • XF23mmF2 R WR
      XF23mmF2 R WR
    • XF27mmF2.8 R WR
      XF27mmF2.8 R WR
    • XF30mmF2.8 R LM WR Macro
      XF30mmF2.8 R LM WR Macro
    • XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR
      XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR
    • XF35mmF1.4 R
      XF35mmF1.4 R
    • XF35mmF2 R WR
      XF35mmF2 R WR
    • XF50mmF1.0 R WR
      XF50mmF1.0 R WR
    • XF50mmF2 R WR
      XF50mmF2 R WR
    • XF56mmF1.2 R WR
      XF56mmF1.2 R WR
    • XF56mmF1.2 R APD
      XF56mmF1.2 R APD
    • XF60mmF2.4 R Macro
      XF60mmF2.4 R Macro
    • XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
      XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
    • XF90mmF2 R LM WR
      XF90mmF2 R LM WR
    • XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR
      XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR
    • XC35mmF2
      XC35mmF2
    Zoom
    • XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR
      XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR
    • XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR
      XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR
    • XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 R LM WR
      XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 R LM WR
    • XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
      XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
    • XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR
      XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR
    • XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS
      XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS
    • XF18-120mmF4 LM PZ WR
      XF18-120mmF4 LM PZ WR
    • XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
      XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
    • XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR
      XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR
    • XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
      XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
    • XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
      XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
    • XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
      XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
    • XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
      XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
    • XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ
      XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ
    • XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II
      XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II
    Teleconverter
    • XF1.4X TC WR
      XF1.4X TC WR
    • XF2X TC WR
      XF2X TC WR
    Cine
    • MKX18-55mmT2.9
      MKX18-55mmT2.9
    • MKX50-135mmT2.9
      MKX50-135mmT2.9
  • Support
    SUPPORT
    • Downloads
      • Firmware
      • Software
      • LUT
    • Manuals
      • Cameras
      • Lenses
      • Accessories
      • Software
    • Compatibility
      • Cameras
      • Lenses
      • Accessories
      • Software
    • More Links
      • FAQ
      • FUJIFILM Service Centre
      • FUJIFILM X | GFX Members
      • FUJIFILM Professional Services (FPS)
  • News
  • Events
  • Promotions
  • Shop
  • X-Photographers
    • Galleries
    • Photographer
  • X Stories
    • X Stories
    • Learning Centre
©FUJIFILM Corporation.

Learning Centre

  • twitter
  • facebook
Photo © Aaron Anderson

> 4 minute read

Using Low Key to Create High Drama

Create great impact in your pictures with some clever use of low-key lighting

Low-key lighting can be used in any situation. It could be a classic formal portrait with chiaroscuro lighting, a gritty environmental character study, a delicate still life dominated by shadow tones, a street figure framed in a pool of light between city skyscrapers, or even a lone tree lit by the setting sun against dark and broody clouds.

Whatever the subject you’re photographing, this lighting style is all about applying a sense of drama, impact, and a specific mood to your pictures. In short, controlling this lighting style in the right way can put you in full control of the story you’re trying to tell.

Photo © Rebecca Gaal

Photo © Claire Rosen

Photo © Rebecca Gaal

Photo © Claire Rosen

Photo © Rebecca Gaal

By its nature, low key means working with predominantly shadow tones in the image. Mixed with small areas of highlight, this can create strong contrast wherein the subject’s shape and texture is defined in a way that regular or high-key lighting doesn’t offer. In fact, low-key is the polar opposite to high-key lighting where highlights and midtones dominate and contrast tends to be lower. Low-key lighting accentuates shadows and revels in playing the subject off against them.

When adding light to a picture, a low-key effect can be achieved by making sure the lighting ratio is high. A lighting ratio tells us the difference in intensity between the main (key) light source that illuminates the subject and any fill light which illuminates the shadows in a scene. The lighting ratio also indicates to us how much contrast there is in the picture. In a high-key image, where you might find multiple light sources balancing the effect of a key light, the ratio could be close to 1:1, but in a low-key image, it’ll be more like 8:1.

Photo © Chris Knight

Low Key as a Storytelling Tool

As always, the important thing in creative photography is matching the lighting to your intentions for the tone and mood of the image. Though it’s not impossible, low-key images are rarely humorous, light or airy. They’re moodier and more mysterious. It’s a style that’s better employed when you want pictures to have some gravitas or solemnity. It’s not one for kids’ parties and high school portraits. You can practice the differences in storytelling tone simply by photographing the same subject using both low- and high-key effects.

The high contrast found in low-key images makes them impactful, because bright highlights jump out of the deep shadows to catch the eye. Shadows area can also give a sense of unease. Combine this with negative space around the subject and the effect is even more unsettling. That’s why it’s so often used to heighten story elements in thriller and horror movies.

Low-key lighting can also be used to emphasise facial contours and textures, so if the story you’re going for is about deep character then it’s ideal. Of course, this gives a look that would be normally considered unflattering for portraits, but if that’s the tone of the image, so be it.

On the flipside, when appropriately filtered and directed, low-key lighting can offer simple, smooth, and elegant looks, which add definition in the subject and can give a three-dimensional look. Low key can even create silhouettes if the light source is in the right place and not too dominant. So, once you play with the effect, you’ll discover how many uses it has. It’s by no means a blunt or one-dimensional tool.

Photo © Bobbi Lane

How to Improve Your Low-Light Technique

To create better low-key images, you need to get comfortable in finding available light that’s highly directional and which creates shadows – or in setting up your own lights to produce the same effect. When working with your own illumination, for instance for a portrait or still-life image, low-key effects often use just a single light, possibly with a reflector or a very low-powered fill or hair light to help add definition. If it’s available light you’re dealing with, windows and doorways can do the trick, but any light sources that channel the illumination and produce strong areas of shadow will help.

To contrast with the subject, the background will tend to be in shadow, but just as high-key lighting isn’t necessarily reliant on a white backdrop, low-key pictures are not defined by having a black backdrop. With lights properly positioned, and without light falling on it, an unlit background should create enough contrast with a correctly lit subject to work. So, when adding light yourself, say with strobes or LEDs, modifiers like spill kills, barn doors, honeycombs or snoots can all help. When working with available light, it can be more about moving your subject within the light to perfect the look, but narrowing curtains or doors can help, too.

The position of the light, or the subject’s angle to it, is important in creating contrast. More oblique angles are used than in high-key lighting, making it easier to create shadows. If the subject is lit too broadly, contrast is harder to achieve, and you also risk lighting the background.

Whether it’s artificial or available light, try using the edges of the illumination, too. This keeps the light directional, but also softens it for a more attractive look, if that’s what your image needs.

Photo © Alison Conklin

Work on Your Low-Key Exposures

Finally, remember that low-key lighting is not to be confused with pictures that are simply dark or underexposed: a dim image isn’t low key – it’s just dim. What you need is that mix of shadow and highlight, even if the former vastly outweighs the latter.

Your X Series camera’s EVF or LCD screen is great for low light, because it shows exactly the exposure you’ll get in the final image. But try using features like the live histogram to check that the tones are bunched to the left – but that you have some highlights in the image, too.

Also Try...

Using Negative Space

Which GFX Camera Body Is Right for You?

Specialised for different photographers’ needs, how do GFX bodies compare?

Three Ways to Improve Exposure on Moving Subjects

Discover some FUJIFILM X Series camera tricks to help you create great sports and action images

  • Products
    • Cameras
    • Lenses
    • Accessories
    • Software
    • Help Me Choose
  • Support
    • Download
    • Manual
    • Compatibility
    • FAQ
    • FUJIFILM X | GFX Members
    • FUJIFILM Professional Services (FPS)
    • Product Security Information
  • More
    • X-Photographers
    • X Stories
    • Learning Centre
    • Events
    • News
    • Promotions
    • Shop
Follow Us
  • UK
  • Global
FUJIFILM ©FUJIFILM Corporation.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Settings
Select Your Country Or Region
  • America
    • pt-br

      Brazil

    • en-ca

      Canada

      • English
      • French
    • en-us

      USA

  • Asia Pacific
    • zh-cn

      China

    • en-in

      India

    • id-id

      Indonesia

    • ja-jp

      Japan

    • ko-kr

      Korea

    • en-my

      Malaysia

    • en-ph

      Philippines

    • en-sg

      Singapore

    • th-th

      Thailand

    • vi-vn

      Vietnam

  • Europe
    • de-at

      Austria

    • fr-be

      Belgium

      • Dutch
      • French
    • hr-hr

      Croatia

    • cs-cz

      Czechia

    • da-dk

      Denmark

    • et-ee

      Estonia

    • fi-fi

      Finland

    • fr-fr

      France

    • de-de

      Germany

    • el-gr

      Greece

    • hu-hu

      Hungary

    • is-is

      Iceland

    • en-ie

      Ireland

    • it-it

      Italy

    • lv-lv

      Latvia

    • lt-lt

      Lithuania

    • nl-nl

      Netherlands

    • no-no

      Norway

    • pl-pl

      Poland

    • pt-pt

      Portugal

    • ro-ro

      Romania

    • ru-ru

      Russia

    • sk-sk

      Slovakia

    • sl-si

      Slovenia

    • es-es

      Spain

    • sv-se

      Sweden

    • fr-ch

      Switzerland

      • French
      • German
    • tr-tr

      Turkey

    • en-gb

      UK

    • uk-ua

      Ukraine

  • Oceania
    • en-au

      Australia

    • en-nz

      New Zealand

  • Other
    • global

      Global