Self-Portrait (For REAL this time! XD)

[erose86]

I put this in "Just for Fun" because this occurred after a failed experiment yesterday.

After I gave up on that, I turned my attention to messing around with my cheap and shoddy version of "portrait lighting" and light PP touch-ups.

You're more than welcome to C&C it if you'd like (as is the case with anything I post) although that's not my motive for posting this because it's a technical disaster, I know... but that's why it's in "Just for Fun".

...I figured I'd make up for the apparently disappointed handful that I deceived with my last thread that claimed to be a self-portrait.

This was taken with a make-shift tripod (otherwise known as a tall stack of books on my dresser), with no remote (holy HELL focusing was a bitch and and effing half... ... a remote is officially on my list of things to get at some point...) and a make-shift lighting set up (otherwise known as a dim-ish lamp minus the shade, in front of a mirror, enclosed behind a big white sheet hanging from the ceiling)... A.K.A. "Taken with absolutely *zero* knowledge of lighting"

Anyway... there she (er... I) blows!

[Derrel]

Two hours, eighteen views, and no comments yet? Hmmm...I bet somebody is getting antsy, no? Will this be on the back of your CD release? It looks like a CD artwork reverse cover shot, only kind of blurry. I like the lighting, which is kind of dark and moody,and gives excellent,large catchlights on your eyes. The technical quality is,well, pretty hard to describe...it's got low detail...I wish it were more like a painting or watercolor I think. The aerosol can on the bureau behind you is distracting...I dunno...it's not sharp enough to be sharp, and not fuzzy enough to look like a watercolor or painting.

[D-B-J]

background is distracting, but i like the lighting.

[Timothy]

yeah looks good apart from the background

[Dominantly]

[Misfitlimp]

Im saying your about 110-114lbs and about 5'3" with about a full B or small C cup? Correct me if im wrong?
Not bad at all for the first couple trys sweetheart.

[erose86]

Quote: Originally Posted by Derrel

Two hours, eighteen views, and no comments yet? Hmmm...I bet somebody is getting antsy, no? Will this be on the back of your CD release? It looks like a CD artwork reverse cover shot, only kind of blurry. I like the lighting, which is kind of dark and moody,and gives excellent,large catchlights on your eyes. The technical quality is,well, pretty hard to describe...it's got low detail...I wish it were more like a painting or watercolor I think. The aerosol can on the bureau behind you is distracting...I dunno...it's not sharp enough to be sharp, and not fuzzy enough to look like a watercolor or painting.

Haha, no, not antsy. I posted this and then immediately left to hang out with some friends I haven't seen since high school/college (it was a mix of people), so I wasn't really thinking about this post until now.

Thanks for your input

I would probably have to *write* something decent first in order to have an actual CD to *put* this on... but I suppose it could work.

I agree with you about the aerosol can... hell... about the background period... but I'll get to that in a moment.

Quote: Originally Posted by D-B-J

background is distracting, but i like the lighting.

Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by Timothy

yeah looks good apart from the background

Thanks

Originally I was trying something different with the lighting... off camera, off to the left of me is where a big black sheet is hanging on the wall that I used for the earlier "experiments"... when I gave up on that is when I decided to play around with this. In order to use the light source that I had, I would have had to move it, re-hang the white sheet (which would have been hard, because where I would have been able to plug the lamp into wouldn't have allowed me to stand on anything *to* be able to hang the sheet...)... not to mention that focusing would have been 20,000x worse than what was in this portrait because I don't have a remote right now, nor arms long enough to reach the camera from where I would have been to make the black backdrop work. (I apologize if that long run-on sentence made no sense... I've had a couple this evening... Feel free to ask for clarification tomorrow...)

The current background sucks... That's part of what I meant when I said there were plenty of things technically wrong with it. On one of my "experimental" pictures, I had given up on the original angle I chose and ended up using the same one you see here, making the TV and dressers the backdrop. I tried to get rid of them in PP by replacing them with a black backdrop, but it just looked like a sad 13 year old's attempt at Photoshop. Leave the dressers in, or black them out... eitherway, it would have been awful.

The focus is soft... that's a result of my pressing the shutter button half-way with one hand and holding out the other in front of the camera, about where my head would be, to get the camera to focus somewhat in the correct area. Again... I desperately need a remote... it's been added to my list of things to purchase, haha.

So all those issues... I was aware of when posting. I wish they weren't there... but... it's what I had to work with at the time, haha. I *am* glad to know that the lighting worked though... that actually makes me happy because it means I *might* (huge maybe) be on to something!

I'm sorry... I have the drunk rambles... Moving on...

Quote: Originally Posted by Dominantly

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfitlimp

Im saying your about 110-114lbs and about 5'3" with about a full B or small C cup? Correct me if im wrong?
Not bad at all for the first couple trys sweetheart.

You're off on the weight about 7lbs, off on the height an inch and right about the cup size.

[Misfitlimp]

Quote: Originally Posted by erose86

Quote: Originally Posted by Derrel

Two hours, eighteen views, and no comments yet? Hmmm...I bet somebody is getting antsy, no? Will this be on the back of your CD release? It looks like a CD artwork reverse cover shot, only kind of blurry. I like the lighting, which is kind of dark and moody,and gives excellent,large catchlights on your eyes. The technical quality is,well, pretty hard to describe...it's got low detail...I wish it were more like a painting or watercolor I think. The aerosol can on the bureau behind you is distracting...I dunno...it's not sharp enough to be sharp, and not fuzzy enough to look like a watercolor or painting.

Haha, no, not antsy. I posted this and then immediately left to hang out with some friends I haven't seen since high school/college (it was a mix of people), so I wasn't really thinking about this post until now.

Thanks for your input

I would probably have to *write* something decent first in order to have an actual CD to *put* this on... but I suppose it could work.

I agree with you about the aerosol can... hell... about the background period... but I'll get to that in a moment.

Quote: Originally Posted by D-B-J

background is distracting, but i like the lighting.

Thanks



Thanks

Originally I was trying something different with the lighting... off camera, off to the left of me is where a big black sheet is hanging on the wall that I used for the earlier "experiments"... when I gave up on that is when I decided to play around with this. In order to use the light source that I had, I would have had to move it, re-hang the white sheet (which would have been hard, because where I would have been able to plug the lamp into wouldn't have allowed me to stand on anything *to* be able to hang the sheet...)... not to mention that focusing would have been 20,000x worse than what was in this portrait because I don't have a remote right now, nor arms long enough to reach the camera from where I would have been to make the black backdrop work. (I apologize if that long run-on sentence made no sense... I've had a couple this evening... Feel free to ask for clarification tomorrow...)

The current background sucks... That's part of what I meant when I said there were plenty of things technically wrong with it. On one of my "experimental" pictures, I had given up on the original angle I chose and ended up using the same one you see here, making the TV and dressers the backdrop. I tried to get rid of them in PP by replacing them with a black backdrop, but it just looked like a sad 13 year old's attempt at Photoshop. Leave the dressers in, or black them out... eitherway, it would have been awful.

The focus is soft... that's a result of my pressing the shutter button half-way with one hand and holding out the other in front of the camera, about where my head would be, to get the camera to focus somewhat in the correct area. Again... I desperately need a remote... it's been added to my list of things to purchase, haha.

So all those issues... I was aware of when posting. I wish they weren't there... but... it's what I had to work with at the time, haha. I *am* glad to know that the lighting worked though... that actually makes me happy because it means I *might* (huge maybe) be on to something!

I'm sorry... I have the drunk rambles... Moving on...

Quote: Originally Posted by Dominantly

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfitlimp

Im saying your about 110-114lbs and about 5'3" with about a full B or small C cup? Correct me if im wrong?
Not bad at all for the first couple trys sweetheart.

You're off on the weight about 7lbs, off on the height an inch and right about the cup size.

Im guessin the weight is lower then. Dont you think its weird I guessed that from just a head shot? Your husband is a very lucky man hun.

[Josh220]

Good job for a first attempt. The background has already been mentioned. Less clutter and shallower DOF next time

You don't look anything like what I imagined from your avatar. I really like your hair.

Also, careful how you position your shoulders. Your right (viewers left) shoulder looks "boney." Fat chicks aren't the only people who have posing issues.

I'd love to see a 3/4 shot. Those are really fun to try taking by yourself.

[Muusers]

Hello pretty lady . Another confirmation about what already has been said: the focus is off and the background is distracting. Otherwise the lighting looks good.

[erose86]

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfitlimp

Dont you think its weird I guessed that from just a head shot?

No, not really, haha.

Quote: Originally Posted by Misfitlimp

Your husband is a very lucky man hun.

Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

Good job for a first attempt. The background has already been mentioned. Less clutter and shallower DOF next time

Yep, got it!

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

You don't look anything like what I imagined from your avatar.

Haha, I don't?

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

I really like your hair.

Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

Also, careful how you position your shoulders. Your right (viewers left) shoulder looks "boney." Fat chicks aren't the only people who have posing issues.

Yeah... I think I had my arm behind-ish and to the side of my back for that particular one. I'm very awkward in front of a camera and don't think about that stuff like I should... yet. I agree with you though.

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

I'd love to see a 3/4 shot. Those are really fun to try taking by yourself.

A what?

Quote: Originally Posted by Muusers

Hello pretty lady . Another confirmation about what already has been said: the focus is off and the background is distracting. Otherwise the lighting looks good.

Sweet, thanks

[Dominantly]

Yeah it's soft, with a clumsy background, but the lighting is actually pretty darn good for being a bare lamp.

[erose86]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dominantly

Yeah it's soft, with a clumsy background, but the lighting is actually pretty darn good for being a bare lamp.

[Josh220]

Quote: Originally Posted by erose86

A what?

From your shins or thighs up.

[erose86]

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh220

Quote: Originally Posted by erose86

A what?

From your shins or thighs up.

Oh, haha. Yeah... definitely going to need a remote for that first...