My First Self Portrait C&C Welcome

[Bgagnon127]

Ok here goes, did I listen well?

What do you think? Does it look more dynamic to you? As a viewer, do you feel more connected to the model? Does it provide you a reasonable likeness?
It's really a matter of numbers, trial and error, mistakes after mistakes, slight adjustments here and there.

My setup.
with my current setup I have the key light about 45 deg off to the left of camera with a bounce umbrella which is just slightly above eye level. then i have an open head bouncing off the cieling to camera right for fill. then a speed light behind me on a low stand to hit the background but i guess not enough.

Okay, I see that you have plenty of length, but are somewhat limited on height. This is a good reason to find a chair to lower yourself, for the time being. This will also raise your lights, in essence, giving you more flexibility with positioning them. If I might make a few suggestions for your consideration.

I would first move your position forward so that you are ~6 feet from the background. This will create a greater separation for you. Next, position your main light just out of frame to soften the light. The further away the light, the smaller it becomes. Obviously there are times when this is desired, but seldom in the type of shot you are attempting here. Having a separate fill light is great, but having it opposite the main cancels out the modeling (shadows) you've created with your main light. Try having it directly over the lens (height appropriate) to no more than ~18" on the same side as the main. If you have a wall behind you, you could even bounce the fill off that providing that it is white to avoid any color casting (bed sheet, poster board, is that a Lastolite trigrip reflector on the left of you setup shot?). IMO, the background light is not your friend here only because of the texture of the background material and it is set too low. Typically in the fashion you're using it, you would want it to be at the same height as your head.... or down low pointing up..... or up high pointing down.... or turned so that it firing at your head (this would give a nice rim light). But I think a better use is to have it ~135 degrees from the camera (opposite the main light) to highlight your hair to give separation from the background. You could add a snoot or grid to target a specific part of your head. It's amazing how much that little bit of light can add to an image. When you get more lights, you can use them to hit the background.


Keep at it dude, it looks like you want to do well. I think you will.

I have to purchase a couple of items to bring this to the next level I think. A bar stool so there's no backrest in the photo when I'm sitting on it, a real muslin background to get a larger coverage as well as a better texture, and few more light control devices such as a snoot or grid spots like you're saying. My space is a bit limiting but I agree that sitting may solve some of those issues. What other devices have you used to offset the feet (in a studio space like this) and therefore pose the body properly? Other than a bar stool, milk crate, small ladder?

Also regarding what I think about the photo being more dynamic or a good likeness. Yes I think it's much more "natural" feeling and therefore more pleasing to look at. I also think the lines that are created by the pose of the arms and shoulders are bringing the eye around the photo pretty nicely. I would eventually like to get to the point where I can study a person and know what pose will be the most flattering for them, however right now I'm going to focus on lighting to try and get that better. Awesome feedback!

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

I have to purchase a couple of items to bring this to the next level I think. A bar stool so there's no backrest in the photo when I'm sitting on it, a real muslin background to get a larger coverage as well as a better texture, and few more light control devices such as a snoot or grid spots like you're saying. My space is a bit limiting but I agree that sitting may solve some of those issues. What other devices have you used to offset the feet (in a studio space like this) and therefore pose the body properly? Other than a bar stool, milk crate, small ladder?

Also regarding what I think about the photo being more dynamic or a good likeness. Yes I think it's much more "natural" feeling and therefore more pleasing to look at. I also think the lines that are created by the pose of the arms and shoulders are bringing the eye around the photo pretty nicely. I would eventually like to get to the point where I can study a person and know what pose will be the most flattering for them, however right now I'm going to focus on lighting to try and get that better. Awesome feedback!

I don't think you have to be so quick to go out and spend money. Think creatively about what you already have around the house.

• A cereal box rolled and held together with duct tape will make a decent snoot for a speedlight.
• A handful of drinking straws cut short, taped or glued together can work as a grid.
• The chair that you have over in the corner will work fine for posing. Your body can block the back from view. Turned around, the back can act as a prop for your arms. Simply place a similarly colored piece of cloth to hide the wood.
• Moving further away from the background will greatly reduce the texture of what you're using. Opening up your aperture will also help blur the texture.
• You can buy white & black poster board from a local arts supply shop for cheap reflectors. Put aluminum foil on one side for a silver (more contrasty) reflector.

Nice observation on your progress.

 

[Bgagnon127]

I don't think you have to be so quick to go out and spend money. Think creatively about what you already have around the house.

• A cereal box rolled and held together with duct tape will make a decent snoot for a speedlight.
• A handful of drinking straws cut short, taped or glued together can work as a grid.
• The chair that you have over in the corner will work fine for posing. Your body can block the back from view. Turned around, the back can act as a prop for your arms. Simply place a similarly colored piece of cloth to hide the wood.
• Moving further away from the background will greatly reduce the texture of what you're using. Opening up your aperture will also help blur the texture.
• You can buy white & black poster board from a local arts supply shop for cheap reflectors. Put aluminum foil on one side for a silver (more contrasty) reflector.

Nice observation on your progress.

Again great advice!

 

[Bgagnon127]

Ok I took another stab at it after reading a bunch of advice. I really think this lighting is much better than the first. Let me know what you think.

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

Much better. :thumbup:

How did you set up the lighting differently than before?

(gotta say that that looks an awful lot like a Lastolite background, Dakota perhaps?)

 

[meggageg]

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I just wanted to say that you have improved greatly from 1 to 3. Looks good!

 

[Bgagnon127]

Much better. :thumbup:

How did you set up the lighting differently than before?

(gotta say that that looks an awful lot like a Lastolite background, Dakota perhaps?)

During the first sitting I was really trying to keep the f-stop as large as I could to make the background go soft, but since it was letting in so much light I couldn't use one of the lights I own because it has very limited control and was way too hot at it's minimum setting. I tried diffusion and barn doors but it either was still too hot or the built in slave wouldn't recognize the flash because the barn doors were closed too much. It has the slave on the front!!! Really stupid light design.

So I decreased the f-stop to match the power of that problem light, which gave me one more light to the setup and I placed it on a small stand directly behind me aimed up at the ceiling to provide bounce for my hair, using barn doors to keep most of it off the background. I also changed the key light from an umbrella to a softbox and moved it much closer to the subject, still slightly above the eye level and about 45 deg off to the side the face is facing. This seemed to soften the light which makes sense since I've read that closer/larger light sources provide softer light. I made a paper snoot for my speedlight which I used to control that light source to only hitting the back 2/3 left side of my head and shoulder. I also moved the fill so it is almost in line with the camera to provide more light direct to the front of the subject. Lastly I stuck the black side of a bounce card on the ceiling directly above the background to lessen the light falling on the background from the trouble light mentioned earlier.

Regarding the background I got ambitious last weekend and made it. It's a piece of white muslin and I purchase RIT dye all for about $45 and an hours work. Cheaper than buying one and I'm pretty happy with the result. I guess you also think it looks professional? Thanks again for the great critique and help.

 

[Bgagnon127]

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I just wanted to say that you have improved greatly from 1 to 3. Looks good!

Thanks I love learning this stuff