Commercial Style Self Portrait

[fooby]

I've been trying a lot of self portraiture recently. I think it's a really great way to let you learn with no pressure and see what it's like to be in the shoes of a model. I feel that by shooting a series of self portraits, I will be able to direct and know how models that I shoot feel much better than I do now.

Here is my first self portrait! Shot in a beautiful forest near my house. Please forgive the less than ideal clothing colours. The aim was to produce a shot in the style that might be used by a commercial outdoor clothing client, and this was the only outdoor gear I have by the same brand!

 

[D-B-J]

Nicely done! I like the colors, the pose, the light, etc. I feel like it could use a bump of maybe 1/3 or 2/3's on the exposure slider, though.

Jake

 

[SpikeyJohnson]

I think this actually looks quite great. I could even see something of this caliber making it into an advertisement. For this to also be a self portrait is wonderful. As per the exposure, I think it woulc go either way. I like how it is but I can see how it would look good even darker as well as lighter. This is definitely a great photo that you could play a lot with in post.

 

[fooby]

Thanks for the feedback! This has been through some basic post - bringing up the shadows, sharpening the eyes, adding some blues to the shadows and some warmth to the skin tones. See if you can spot the radio trigger in my right hand (I've just noticed - this isn't the version where I clone stamped out the red light so it should be easy to spot!).

 

[Derrel]

Dude--where is the bathroom mirror?

Selfies are tough, I think. I might have been tempted to put the pack over the ugly chainsawed-off end of the tree, and had the pack leaned there, and thus gotten rid of an eyesore AND given you back that missing foot all with one small movement of one prop. To me the saturation looks very low. It just looks flat.

 

[KmH]

To me the saturation looks very low. It just looks flat.

I agree with it looks flat for a 'commercial' photo and would suggest that is because of the poor light quality and light direction.

It also looks a lot like your avatar with the looking up and camera right pose.

 

[fooby]

To me the saturation looks very low. It just looks flat.

I agree with it looks flat for a 'commercial' photo and would suggest that is because of the poor light quality and light direction.

It also looks a lot like your avatar with the looking up and camera right pose.

It does look similar doesn't it? I'm not the best model in the world! This was the only pose that would work with the ambient light available. I thought it worked with the whole "incoming storm" concept behind the image too. The low saturation is a personal style that I really like, although I'm starting to feel that the blacks could be a little deeper.

 

[hombredelmar]

I think you have done a great job at composing the shot!!!
A few words on lighting please?
Thanks

 

[fooby]

I think you have done a great job at composing the shot!!!
A few words on lighting please?
Thanks

Completely natrual lighting, taken at around mid-day. I would have liked to use a fill light for the shadows on the left, but I didn't take a light stand with me

 

[KmH]

When it comes to 'commecial' you won't often get to shoot what you like.

Few of the images in advertisements or other commercial uses have a dark, low saturation feel to them.
Bright, vibrant, colorful images are used for commerce.

 

[DanOstergren28 4]

Lighting, color tones and composition look great. I agree that the exposure could be bumped up, but it could go either way. I'd also use a curves adjustment layer to add some contrast.

To me this looks more editorial than commercial.

 

[fooby]

When it comes to 'commecial' you won't often get to shoot what you like.

Few of the images in advertisements or other commercial uses have a dark, low saturation feel to them.
Bright, vibrant, colorful images are used for commerce.

It's an interesting mix in outdoor commercial photography. For example, I have been asked before to shoot a client's products being used on a real expedition, which called for a more editorial style, even though it was for their catalog / website.

I've also updated the original, it's on my own hosting so the first post should have updated itself (internet is also being very buggy and not fully uploading stuff). I bumped the exposure a little and added some blacks. I think I prefer it this way

 

[e.rose]

When it comes to 'commecial' you won't often get to shoot what you like.

Few of the images in advertisements or other commercial uses have a dark, low saturation feel to them.
Bright, vibrant, colorful images are used for commerce.

It's an interesting mix in outdoor commercial photography. For example, I have been asked before to shoot a client's products being used on a real expedition, which called for a more editorial style, even though it was for their catalog / website.

I've also updated the original, it's on my own hosting so the first post should have updated itself (internet is also being very buggy and not fully uploading stuff). I bumped the exposure a little and added some blacks. I think I prefer it this way

There's lots of cool opportunities in commercial photographers. One of my best friends is a commercial photographer here in Nashville, and he also assists for big name photographers here in Nashville (the ones who shoot all the famous people you see on all the famous magazines ).

One of the photographers here in town, Jeremy Cowart, does a ton of awesome commercial work:

Featured | Jeremy Cowart

It's not all super bright and saturated. I mean, he's also a RIDICULOUS photographer, and I can't even wrap my head around the sh*t he does, haha, BUT... point being... commercial photography isn't always boring, and it isn't always bright and saturated.

I see probably a pretty even mix of saturated, faded, desaturated, bright, dark, what have you. It just depends on what you're end goal is with that particular client and their art director.

 

[e.rose]

That being said... I love the concept of your shot. It DOES, however, look a little soft to me, like you missed focus a bit. -- Maybe I'm just tired though. That is entirely possible.

 

[fooby]

Jeremy Cowart's work looks amazing! Reminds me a little of Joey L. - Homepage.

I think you may be seeing the results of compression for web. Although the file is actually three times the size of most of my other images, it's one of those annoying ones that really doesn't respond well to compression without looking terrible. It looks on at 100% crop.