Black and white photographs can appear to be quite mundane and boring at times, and that is because they have just two colours, black and white. So how do photographers achieve the effect that has been created in the picture underneath? Well, that is no secret; it is all done through lighting. Since highlights and shadows are the only two elements that compose a black and white frame, it’s the right kind of lighting that can help you highlight the right contours, patterns and shadows. The perfect kind of lighting for a frame where you wish to create a mood or make it dramatic is the low key lighting.

Low key lighting, as the name suggests in quite low on the lighting aspect and very high when it comes to contrast. If you see the picture below, you can see that the shirt patters and the body contours have been highlighted beautifully, this is because of the high contrast.

Unlike high key lighting or the three point lighting, low key lighting is achieved by just a single key light and fill is given by a bounced light or using a reflector. Obviously a strong flash, like the one offered by the Panasonic VW-FLH3, would be too strong. In a typical low key lighting arrangement, the lighting ratio of key light to fill light is more than 1:8. Low key lighting is often also known as chiaroscuro, which in Italian means playing with light and shadows. This kind of lighting is often used to create negative or depressing moods, unlike high key lighting which has a very positive feel.