01/02/2026
In November, our local photo club (Loudoun Photo Club) featured Lisa Langell (langellphotography.com) as our guest speaker. Lisa explored the topic of High Key photography--a style, created mostly in-camera, that emphasizes high contrast and minimalism. I was intrigued by the approach and style, and realized that I had, unknowingly, shot some High Key images. Our club's December competition focused on High Key photography. I entered two images. The first, the Great Blue Heron, took first place in the intermediate black & white category, and the Grasses in Water, took second in color. I captured the Heron image in December 2024, and it was very nearly a High Key image, requiring only minimal post-processing to get it to a true High Key image. The grasses I shot as a High Key image, and true to Lisa's discussion, 98% of the High Key effect came from in-camera technique with very minimal post-processing.
