Photo Discussion
Category: New Discussion Archive

To discuss a photo, sign up as a BetterPhoto member or log in.

 

Decisions, Decisions


 

BetterPhoto.com All Time Best Photo Contest Staff Favorite BetterPhoto.com Photo Contest SECOND PLACE Winner  

Shelley Sanders

 
 
 

Kathy L. Schneider
 

Shelley, this is so bright and refreshing! I love the composiition and the wonderful expression, complete with the crossed eyes! High key is your speciality! Great job!


To love this question, log in above
January 05, 2003

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks so much Kathy! Yes, I think he is deciding on the orange one! LOL


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Ray Charles
  Great job on this portrait Shelley. I can this one next in months winners cicle.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Denny Medley
  Excellent image, Shelley! I've been playing with High key lately, but I'm nowhere close to this excellent shot! Fantastic work, and good luck!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Dolores Neilson
  Shelley...take an outstanding photographer and a cute little adorable boy who can model well and you have a winning shot! I can see this on as an advertisement for Popsicles! You better contact them, Shelley!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Carol Engstrom

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Carol Engstrom
Carol Engstrom's Gallery
  Great shot, Shelley! Are you sure he is going to decide though? I think he just wants to take all four.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Carol Sherman
  Shelley....a winner for sure!!!
Fantastic shot, love his expression and the colours are so vivid. Hmmm, me thinks he'll decide to take them all.lol

p.s.- may I ask, what is "High Key" that Denny mentioned?


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Joann Tompkins-Winborn
  love this picture! I don't usually pay much attention to "people" pictures, but this one really shouted at me!
Thanks for sharing. God bless you and yours.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Stephanie Adams
  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS!!! Fantastic job!! Wow! Great job Shelly, this had better be a winner :O)

I would also like to know what "High Key" is, if anyone can help us out we would appreciate it. Thanks


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Angie Hill
  Great job on this Shelley! I agree with Dolores, you better get this one to the right contact to sell it.

Carol, High Key is a picture with alot of light tones with little or no midtones and shadows.

Angie Hill
www.digitalphotonut.com


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Carol Sherman
  Angie, thank you for the info. How is this achieved...I'm still so new to all of this.lol


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Angie Hill
  Carol, You can achieve this by spot metering on the darkest area of the subject. I don't know what camera you use, but you can look in your manual and read about metering.

Angie


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Carol Sherman
  Thank you again Angie, I will definitely read up on it.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

bob garas
 
 
 
great shot Shelley. perfectly composed


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks so much everyone for your comments on this shot! Thanks Angie for explaining "high key" to them. Angie is right that I spot metered this shot, practically all of my shots are shot this way. Carol, on the Pro90, you need to look on top of your camera below your button that blows up your pics, three silver buttons right of the lens, the bottom one, it has a square and a dot in the middle of it. When you are in AV or TV, you can push this button and it will spot meter for you. Hope this helps. : ) Stephanie, I am not sure of your camera, but what I do is like Angie says, I take the darkest part and it lightens up the rest of the shot. Now about this being an ad for Popsicle, anyone have their number? LOL I am willing to discuss it. : ) Thanks so much everyone!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

June Marie Sobrito
  Outstanding!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks so much June Marie!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Carol Sherman
  Oh Shelley, thank you. I have used the spot meter before, but not in AV or TV. Though, when 'I've' spot metered it certainly didn't look anything as Incredible as yours!!!lol You are always such a help to me and I do appreciate it.



To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Carol, you are welcome. I had my son stand by a white hutch in a white kitchen right next to an East double window. That gives me a lot of white!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Stephanie Adams
  Shelley, my new Canon EOS 1v does have a spot meter and I will most certainly try this out! Thanks to you and your sister for explaining :O) I will drop you an email soon, nice to hear from you and good luck with this shot, it is outstanding!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Denny Medley
  Shelley, I've just returned home to see that I spawned a lot of discussion on high key. I'm sorry I wasn't here more today to explain it. Thanks, Angie as well for the explanation and instructions. Good luck, Shelley!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Stephanie, you will need to let me know about that new camera of yours and how it performs. New toys, always fun. : ) I just got back to your emails Denny and Stephanie, sorry for the delay! Thanks again guys.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

BetterPhoto Member
  Shelly, This shot is superb! Everything about this photo is simply great. The lighting and colors are perfect; and the boys expression, priceless!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks so much Douglas! Since I am a huge b&w fan, I was real happy with the turn out of the color. Especially with my digital. Also, I wanted to show my son's lovely blue eyes. This was taken in September and even though we were inside, we had to hurry, the popsicles would drip. My son was a great sport, of course he got to eat the props! LOL


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Carolyn M. Fletcher

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher
Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery
  How many finalists are you goint to HAVE?? I shall kiss the ground your hiking boots walk on at Robber's Cave.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Stephanie Adams
  congrats Shelley! I am sure this will become a winner!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Cheryl Meisel
  Again congrats Shelly another photo of yours that is wild and wonderful.
This is for sure a winner! Cheryl


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Carol Engstrom

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Carol Engstrom
Carol Engstrom's Gallery
  Congratulations, Shelley!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Dolores Neilson
  I extend my congrats again, Shelley! You know my feelings on this one!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks so much everyone!!!!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Lem Metro
  A perfect photo has to get its just rewards! Congrats, Shelly.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Cathy M. Gromball
  Congratulations on finals, Shelley! Dolores pegged it right - your forte is advertising photography! Awesome shot!

Cathy :)


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Cathy M. Gromball
  Congratulations on your second place win, Shelley!

Cathy :)


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Carolyn M. Fletcher

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher
Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery
  Congrats, again, Shelley. Ya show off!!LOL


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
photosbysharon.com - Sharon E. Lowe

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Sharon E. Lowe
Sharon E. Lowe's Gallery
  Congrats again, Shelley - another great shot!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Carol Sherman
  Yay!!!! What Incredible News, Shelley!!!
Congratulations on this, most deserving of your work!!!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks everyone! I will have to admit, I am real proud of this shot!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Dolores Neilson
  Congrats on 2nd place with this one, Shelley!! I love the uniqueness and creativity of this one. YES! You SHOULD be proud of this shot!!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Gerda Grice

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Gerda Grice
Gerda Grice's Gallery
  Just adorable, Shelley, and so beautifully done. Great little model, too! Many congratulations on winning 2nd place with this great shot!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Faith Locke Siewert
  That was a sure winner! Fantastic picture, Shelley! Congrats!

Faith.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Bernard B. Travers
  Hip, hip, horay for Shelley. Good job.


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Piper Lehman
  Congrats, Shelley. You already know how much I admire your high-key shot skills. I would just like to add a note to the spot metering technique - Steph, et. al, you need a high contrast situation to get a shot this "high key" -- as Shelley has explained, you will need to shoot into the light or white BG and meter for the darkest part of the scene (preferably plenty of stops darker than the light). The larger the gap between light and dark, the 'higher' your high key shot will turn out. Because this is a digital shot, I'm sure Shelley took advantage of the ability to check each shot until she got the right "white" in the "high key" portion of the shot.

If your camera doesn't have spot metering capabilities, you can use your matrix or center-weighted meter by filling the viewfinder with only the dark portion you're trying to meter. You can also simply take an average meter reading of the entire scene and bracket a few shots over the reading in full or 1/2 stop increments, depending on what type of film you're using.

The trick to all this is keeping the color from washing out of your main subject while whitening the background at the same time. The white shirt Shelley had her son wear did more than draw the eye to the colors, it helped keep the meter from being distracted, so to speak.

Excellent shot for a technical lesson, Shelley. We should write a book, all of us, called: "Everything I know I learned at BetterPhoto"


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Kathy L. Schneider
  Alright Shelley! I knew this was a winner! Great job! Congratulations!


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 

Shelley Sanders
  Thanks everyone! Piper, that is a wonderful tutorial, thanks so very much! I don't remember if I mentioned I had +1/3 exp. comp. on this. Another shot I can remember I had +2 exp.comp. on to get the high key effect. In fact, it was one of my first high key shots, nuts and bolts. Here is another lesson for everyone, hot lamp, metal, shooting time 20 min. DO NOT PICK UP METAL immediately after shoot. O.K. it might just be a lesson for us blondes! LOL


To love this comment, log in above
May 26, 2019

 
- Laura E. Swan

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Laura E. Swan
Laura E. Swan's Gallery
  I think he went for the ORANGE!!! HA!

What a fun and fanciful High Key Image, Shelly!

Huge congrats on your big win!!! I saw this scrolling on the BP winners area.

-Laura Swan


To love this comment, log in above
November 17, 2009

 
Log in or sign up to respond or interact.