my attempt at self-portrait

[brighteyesphotos]

I can't figure out if any of these are any good. I like them for different reasons and wish I had a better set up/place for some of the ideas I wanted to implement.

I was trying to put some focus on my hearing aid there but of the shots I got with it, I didn't like. This is the only one that remotely came out the way I wanted it to. I only wear one in my right ear. I'll try again sometime.

an attempt at desaturating the colors a little. Not sure how I feel about it.

my attempt at looking "playful" it's so much easier when you have someone there!

another trying to show the hearing aid. I need to crop this one down (the others were, this one is not) Just not sure how I want to crop it. And damn, my sniffer is huge :er: Gotta thank the Mayo side for that one.

 

[Amber24]

I think that they look too sad. You need to smile more. If not smiling, at least have a little more 'life' in your eyes.

I do like the background though, and your playful pose is my favorite of the series. Good job, I can never take pictures of myself, lol.

ETA: I think that your expressions are out of place with the background, does that make sense? I feel that if you are going to take somber shots, then the background needs a "darker" feel also. IMO that is.

 

[LaFoto]

Good observations, Amber!
I am thinking the same: if you want to take unsmiling photos of yourself, then maybe interact more. Take about 1 where you look dreamily into the distance, but other than that interact with the camera. Self-portraits by someone called "BrightEyes" (ok ..."...photos") made me think I would see some bright eyes . I don't know what your light set up was like - window light from the right, I assume, and a normal lamp at something like a 30° angle in front of you? - but it does not catch in your eyes ever. Which is a pity.

And the thought about the backdrop versus your sad expression is right, I think.

 

[Mad_Gnome]

Changing your white balance settings or color correcting would also help these images a great deal. When combined with the red background, the lighting makes your skin appear orange.

LaFoto also has a good point - catchlights in the eyes would help to liven these photos up a great deal.

 

[brighteyesphotos]

I'll try again with a different white balance setting. I may wait until I get the studio lighting equipment I will be getting soon. It sucks working with available light only sometimes. Considering my current life situation, I wanted a moodier feel but can't seem to get that down very well. I also have a black backdrop. I wonder if I used a black sheet behind it if it would lend to the "mood" more. Messing around with self-portraits will help me with other portraits down the road I believe. I want to have an idea of what set up will give me which effect, etc. A dummy only does so much and my kids don't cooperate much. And no boyfriend to practice on either. So I practice on myself whenever I can. So your tips help a lot! Thanks!

 

[Mad_Gnome]

What might help to make these photos moodier is to convert them to high-contrast B&W images. B&W seems to lend itself better to stark emotional composition, and a simple conversion can sometimes give a so-so photo a much greater impact on the viewer.