High Key Photo Defined

High-key Photo
Photo whose most important details appear in the highlights.
High key subjects concentrate on the lighter tones, using subject matter that is white or pale tones, and using flat overall lighting to avoid shadows.

Carla M

(Thank you Carla!)

high key photos are usually light bright and either high contrast bw or featuring bright color....here are some wonderful examples...

http://www.acclaimimages.com/search_terms/high_key.html

It is a technique often used in product or food shots, eye appealing and dramatic!

Candice (Thank you, Candice) Check out the link, it's helpful (Mary)

Candice has offered this picture at my request to illustrate the post. Thank you Candice. (Mary)

Shooting Gallery - Motion and May Themes

Hi guys, you did a wonderful job today with the motion pictures. Lots of variety and creativity. I think we'll see some as Finalists. Let's give Sheesh a round of applause for picking this month's theme, as it allowed us to go out and do things we don't normally do. That's one of the the things I like about our group.

Here's a recap of what we did. Hopefully everyone has visited each person's gallery. By Cathy's count, the score was 10 to 3 girls. Hmmm

Robin rain drops

Linda skateboarder

Nina tennnis player

Kate horse race

Mary flying bird

Ken strumming guitar

Cathy backside of waterfall

Darryl water wake behind boat

Candice bird landing (or taking off) from water

Tammy swamp

Sheesh escalator

Carla piano man

Dennis child on slide

Dennis Flanagan has picked May's theme, and it's a great one. The title must come from a Beatles' song. And you must include a couple of lyrics that go with the picture. Here's an example--just use your imagination. The title is "Help." Envision a picture of the 10 Shooting Gallery ladies, as a group photo. The lyrics say "Help, I need somebody, Help, not just anybody, Help, you know I need someone, Help."

Here's a great link you can go to for Beatle song titles and lyrics:

http://www.oldielyrics.com/t/the_beatles.html

Ok, before anyone has a retort like "Loser" and "Nowhere Man" and my picture, it's too late. It won't be funny.

The May Theme post date is on Monday, May 15th.

v/r

Ken Smith

aka Captain

April 17 Theme: Blurred Motion

April's theme is MOTION....blurred motion. Not freezing motion. There is a million ways to do this if one gets creative. Some of our group have done this many times before, like for example waterfalls (long exposure) and I would say if they have done that they might want to think out of the box and do something different.(expand their portfolio). But if someone has never done that, it's a great thing to learn how to do. But it can be sports, birds, still life, there is a myriad of things that could be done. I wanted to choose something that gives the freedom to not have to go outside if they so chose to, since our last one was outside. Btw Panning is of course included in case anyone wants to do that for motion.

Sheesh adds:

Sorry I forgot to mention that it has to be in camera motion...in other words no PS motion added. :)

(that is for you guys!)

I know your tricks!

Sheesh adds:

Ken asked me to come up with some images as example for us to have some visuals of what I am talking about with blurred motion so here ya go.

Here is a place you can go to view some blurred motion shots... you can see how it is unending the ideas and things you can come up with. I didn't go to BP cause (I am sure they have them) but I would like us to think outside of the box of BP. (it is possible )

One thing you usually look for in a motion shot but not all motion shots is something blurred and something sharp... That conotates motion...and stillness.

So here is a link ....there are MANY MANY Photos for you to look through. This is a stock site. :)

Happy Hunting! ;)

Sheesh

and

In case you don't have time to go through a lot of images ... I am writing
down some that are in here and some I have thrown in as well.

tossing spagetti- creative idea! (that was in this stock site)
boxes falling on a man- I know Dennis want to set this up using Ken as the
model
golfer ball in motion
Runner, skaters, walkers, bikers in motion
Planes, trains and automobiles
car motion at night... like skyline (still) lights of the cars blurred in
motion
Flowers blurred by wind and slow shutter or by camera panning
Flag blowing in wind
musician in motion
machinery in motion
stars in the sky at night use tripod...long exposure they become lines in
the sky
Blurred trees in motion with someone standing still- this is an idea I threw
in that I want to do someday
Birds in flight or any animal for that matter- horses are great
kid swining
Dad throwing kid in air
fingers playing the piano
Chef chopping veggies fast- I did this in a asian restaurant once
Ferris wheel
dancing
people on escalator
Nina using a food processor ;)
Mary chasing her fiance Keith around the block to model for her again
Cathy chasing that elusive shot in the woods ....
Darryl chasing his tail... ;) jk
The list is endless and this just scratches the surface...as I am sure you
guys have plenty of ideas on your own. But if not hope this helps.

Blessings,
Sheesh

Working with Layers

Many of you already know all this, but I've had a number of questions about layers in the past few days, so I thought I'd make a few remaarks about it. 

Layers are really extremely simple (once you get the hang of it).  Well, they can be complicated, but they can also be pretty easy.

The first thing I do when I set off to work on a picture is make a duplicate copy to work on (in case I mess up!) and the very next thing I do is to make a duplicate LAYER to work on.  Then all the original unchanged info is available in case I need it right in the same picture (readily available for access).  This also immediately protects the picture from data loss. 

I use adjustment layers to change brightness and contrast, levels, hue and saturation, warming etc.  You may already know this, but those things work just the same, but they don't bruise any pixels and if you don't like them, they can be easily removed or readjusted at any time without affecting later work (you don't have to back up and do things over).  You can clone from one layer to another, add things and subtract them again, etc.  After you play with it, it becomes very intuitive and not much different than not working with layers except that it is so much more versatile.

If you need any help let me know.  The easiest thing of course is to have someone show you.

--
I am certain of nothing but the Heart's affections and the truth of the Imagination- John Keats
Mary