The key light is the first and usually most important light that a photographer, cinematographer, lighting cameraman, or other scene composer will use in a lighting setup. The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject.

Hard light is created by setting up a single point of light that casts very distinct shadows and provides a high-contrast look to your shot, with sharp gradations between light and shadow. A camera flash is an example of a light that creates hard light.

Hard light

The definition of low key is someone or something that is relatively calm, placid or not full of excitement. An example of a low key party is one where people sit around and quietly talk. An example of a low key person is someone who doesn’t get easily mad or show wild swings of emotion. adjective.

A high-key image is one that has been exposed so that the key tones are lighter than this mid-tone ideal. This means that shadows are brighter and more open and the image usually has a light airy feel. Conversely a low-key image is one in which the key tones are darker than the mid-tone ideal.

High key photography is a style of photography that uses unusually bright lighting to reduce or completely blow out dark shadows in the image. High key shots usually lack dark tones and the high key look is generally thought of as positive and upbeat. Low key images are darkly lit and have high contrast.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A high-key image consists primarily of light tones, without dark shadows. A photograph or painting so composed features a diminished tonal range of primarily whites and light grays.

High-key lighting is particularly well suited to lighthearted and comedic scenes because: being free from dark shadows, it suggests an upbeat mood. This answer has been confirmed as correct and helpful.