High Key Newborn Photography | Boise Newborn Photographer

Newborn

Aug 24

What is High Key Photography?

High key photography is a style of photography that strives to eliminate dark shadows and usually has a blown out the background. High key portraits tend to be very bright, which gives them a positive and cheerful feel. For this reason, I think high key photography is excellent for newborn portraits. There is so much joy and excitement surrounding newborn babies, so a bright and happy lighting style can really help shape the mood of the portrait.

High key photo of a newborn baby wrapped in a white swaddle with a bright white background. Baby is sleeping and has hands close to his mouth. — High key photo of a newborn baby. Notice the bright white background and soft shadows throughout the photo.

High Key Photo of a newborn baby held against his mother's shoulder with father standing behind mother. White background and all people in the photo are wearing white. — High key newborn family portrait. Notice that everyone is wearing white, which gives the photo an overall bright and clean appearance.

How is High Key Photography done?

High key photos are generally achieved by using a high powered strobe or flash to blow out the background. However, high key portraits can also be achieved in an outdoor setting using a bright background and making sure to expose correctly for the person whose photo is being taken. In the photos below, I placed the strobe behind my subjects, so they are actually backlit. High key photos look great in black and white and lend to a simple, timeless look.

High key black and white photo of a mother holding her baby against her shoulder. The mother is smiling and the baby is sleeping, both facing the camera. — If you look closely at this photo, you can see the highlights on the newborn baby’s head and on the swaddle near the baby’s back.

High key black and white photo of a father holding his baby close to his face. Both are wearing white with a bright white background. — Here you can see the highlights (from the strobe light) are near the baby’s eye closest to his father’s face and just below the father’s beard.

Why is High Key Photography great for Newborn Portraits?

High key photography really allows for the emphasis to be placed on the subject matter being photographed - in this case, the newborn and his/her family. It gives a clean, simple, timeless, and classic feel to the portraits. No distracting backgrounds or other elements. Just the baby and the people that matter. I find that high key newborn portraits have an ethereal look to them - that is they look so delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.