Midnight at the Oasis
by banmorn

Comment:
There's something creepy about this. I like the lighting on the mushroom, but the grasses (or weeds) around it look artificially darkened. So it looks like there was an oil spill.

So I'm going back and forth between: "meh -- unnatural and forced" and "hey cool -- creepy mushroom scene.

Coming back to look at it later to see where it falls. :)

ok - 7

Still Life
by Alex_Petrini

Comment:
Another one that doesn't look low key -- just looks underexposed. I think this could have been completely fantastic if the shadows were let to go darker and the highlighted fruit was let to BE highlighted and just pop.

Will Model for Cookies
by SandyP

Comment:
I'm confused on this one. I hate to say it, but it's not my definition of low key.

It's hard to say it, because this is so incredibly beautifully done.

So I looked up 6-7 other places for low key definition. Mostly dark, heavy shadows, moody, dramatic.

I guess to me it would have been more low key if you hadn't lit him so completely. If the shadows would have been left to fall into dark.

And yet I hesitate to vote on this, because I could be wrong.

It should be a 9 for beauty, but it's a 6 for low key. (I should have just voted without leaving a comment, I think!)

Intrigue
by Lydia

Comment:
Nicely done. Not quite sure about the orange tint...

Catching the first light
by P-A-U-L

Comment:
Lovely

HappyNessie
by GeorgesBogaert

Comment:
Yup. Love it. Never would have thought of doing this for low key. Great idea!

Spiral Staircase
by kasaba

Comment:
Yup -- this one works. Doesn't look contrived. Nice darks, nice highlights.

Shadow Cat
by BaldurT

Comment:
Another one that confuses me a bit. I'd love to see a discussion on this one. It looks more underexposed that low key. But then I look at the cat, and I don't think it is. But with such a hard light coming in to make such hard shadows, it seems like the lit areas would be brighter. 6 for now. I need to think on this one more.

Son
by Neat

Comment:
This works for me. I like that the bright side of the face isn't over exposed. The dark side of the face looks a little contrived on how dark it is. The curvy line on the forehead looks artificial, shadow-wise. Did you darken these? Or am I just not understanding the lighting? -7-

Backroom Portrait
by bside123

Comment:
This is closer to my thoughts of low key than other images. But the harsh shadows and the light area in the background are bothering me. The funny thing is: I'm thinking the shadows should be deeper, even though they're quite harsh. My understanding of low key is in the challenge description: Mostly dark with few highlights. What if you darken all your shadows more? Would it make a more interesting photo? I'm not sure... 6 for being closer than others