Another self portrait - C+C please

[EckoZero]

Sorry for posting another self portrait but I was replying to another thread about taking criticism and realised that I had only posted one thing to be commented/criticised.

Anyone have any C+C on this one?

The text from my Flickr account on this one will answer a few questions:

"A self portrait...

I'm certainly no model and I have no clue about posing etc but I quite liked the end result.

The light was deliberately harsh (I used a camera mounted flashgun pointed directly at me) and the soft focus effect was produced in GIMP."

 

[PhotoWrangler]

The light was deliberately harsh (I used a camera mounted flashgun pointed directly at me) and the soft focus effect was produced in GIMP."

Just out of curiosity... why would you purposely use harsh lighting, then try and soften it in post? Isn't the point of harsh lighting, to produce a harsh 'mood' if you will?

 

[OrionsByte]

There's probably a more tactful way to say this, but honestly this looks like a mug shot that someone tried to pretty up in Photoshop.

EDIT: I should probably try to be more specific...

Use a different color backdrop.
Look at the camera.
Get your head out of the center of the frame.
The harsh lighting doesn't really work for me, and like the above poster, I'm not sure what effect you were going for.

I'd love to see another attempt.

 

[EckoZero]

Just out of curiosity... why would you purposely use harsh lighting, then try and soften it in post? Isn't the point of harsh lighting, to produce a harsh 'mood' if you will?

:scratch: Damn good question.
I have no idea... I wanted to use harsh lighting when I took the photo, then I wanted to produce soft focus during PP...

Bit of a facepalm moment there :banghead:

 

[EckoZero]

There's probably a more tactful way to say this, but honestly this looks like a mug shot that someone tried to pretty up in Photoshop.

EDIT: I should probably try to be more specific...

Use a different color backdrop.
Look at the camera.
Get your head out of the center of the frame.
The harsh lighting doesn't really work for me, and like the above poster, I'm not sure what effect you were going for.

I'd love to see another attempt.

I read this before the edit and actually laughed out loud at the top line :lmao:

Backdrop I can do...
Head of out of the centre I can do...

Looking at the camera however - when you say at the camera do you mean actually looking directly at the lens? Just above, just below?
Is it that my eyes are somewhere else that is the distraction?

 

[OrionsByte]

Yeah, look directly at the lens. Do an internet image search for "portrait" and you'll see that in a vast majority of the results, the subject is looking directly at the camera. It creates a connection with the viewer... with you looking off to the side like that, it's just the opposite; you look disconnected and uncomfortable.