Self portrait (C&C)

[redessa]

The flash I'd ordered for my camera came today. :lmao: Since I really wanted to play with it and I was the only one home I tried a self portrait. I don't have a remote trigger and when I tried to move back I ended up out of focus so I had to stay close enough where I could reach to push the button LOL. Working with what I had! What do you think? What needs improvement?


self portrait by redessa, on Flickr

 

[nickzou]

Don't cut off your forehead. You're shooting with a T2i so if you don't have a remote set the timer. If you can't reach the auto focus button, manual focus it. Here's a depth of field calculator to make sure you are in focus when you step back. Online Depth of Field Calculator

 

[redessa]

Don't cut off your forehead. You're shooting with a T2i so if you don't have a remote set the timer. If you can't reach the auto focus button, manual focus it. Here's a depth of field calculator to make sure you are in focus when you step back. Online Depth of Field Calculator

Thanks. I knew not to cut of fingers and feet but didn't know that about foreheads.

 

[subscuck]

The crop is a little unbalanced. The abundance of hair on the left, combined with it being brighter than the hair on the right, constantly pulls my eye to the left. A square crop, IMHO, would be a better choice.

A reflector camera right would make an improvement as well.

 

[kundalini]

I don't mind whacking off the top of the head if it looks intentional. In fact, I do it quite often. Just be mindful that the eyes should be close to the top "thirds" line in the frame.

What does drive me nuts is stray hairs. Arrgghh.

I saw this recently and it is close to my approach to SPs that I've been doing for the past several years. I don't have the nice studio though.

[video]http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/Self-Portrait-Photography-AdoramaTV[/video]


Forgot to add.... I use the focus method with AF off.

 

[redessa]

Is this better? (Cloned out the stray hair and cropped in close.)


self portrait-2 by redessa, on Flickr

 

[subscuck]

Aside from some lighting issues, much better.It'd make a nice avatar...

 

[redessa]

Aside from some lighting issues, much better.It'd make a nice avatar...

Okay, so what are the lighting issues? Is it just what you were saying before about needing a reflector on the right? I really do want to learn.

 

[subscuck]

Yeah, basically a little light coming from camera right. You can go downtown and dirty and use a piece of white poster board. You may even have something around the house. A trip to your local hardware or big box home improvement store can get you a piece of white foam board for cheap.

 

[kundalini]

The crop is a little unbalanced.

Ever so slightly.

The abundance of hair on the left, combined with it being brighter than the hair on the right, constantly pulls my eye to the left. .......

That is called a lighting ratio. It is a known and proven method to help create a 3D rendition of a 2D image in portraiture. This is something that is sought after. It would suit me if the ratio was increased.

A reflector camera right would make an improvement as well.

I'll give you that. A reflector would bring out some highlights on the shadow side, but unless other measures are taken into account, the modeling may be lost or greatly reduced. If that were to happen, the overall effect that redessa has achieved would be moot.

C'mon subscuck, you gotta admit this image is a quantum leap from what we usually see from people just starting out, especially for a SP.

redessa, I think you have several things going for you with this SP. You don't mention anything but the one new flash, but it is quite apparent from the catchlights that another light source is in play. If you have used the new flash on-camera as a fill light, you have done this very well IMHO. The shadows on the nose are nearly perfect. My crit would be that your main light source be placed slightly higher (vertically) so that the nose shadow drops further towards the upper lip..... about half way.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Chris R]

I don't mind whacking off

...sorry.

 

[kundalini]

I don't mind whacking off

...sorry.

There is actually a reasonable discussion going on in this thread. You may wish to visit youporn or tube8. Don't forget to add a .cum on the end.

 

[redessa]

The crop is a little unbalanced.

Ever so slightly.

The abundance of hair on the left, combined with it being brighter than the hair on the right, constantly pulls my eye to the left. .......

That is called a lighting ratio. It is a known and proven method to help create a 3D rendition of a 2D image in portraiture. This is something that is sought after. It would suit me if the ratio was increased.

A reflector camera right would make an improvement as well.

I'll give you that. A reflector would bring out some highlights on the shadow side, but unless other measures are taken into account, the modeling may be lost or greatly reduced. If that were to happen, the overall effect that redessa has achieved would be moot.

C'mon subscuck, you gotta admit this image is a quantum leap from what we usually see from people just starting out, especially for a SP.

redessa, I think you have several things going for you with this SP. You don't mention anything but the one new flash, but it is quite apparent from the catchlights that another light source is in play. If you have used the new flash on-camera as a fill light, you have done this very well IMHO. The shadows on the nose are nearly perfect. My crit would be that your main light source be placed slightly higher (vertically) so that the nose shadow drops further towards the upper lip..... about half way.

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much. I actually liked the contrast from one side to the other as well, but I figure I need to learn to photograph "correctly" before I start taking too much artistic license.

As for the 2nd light source, I'm going to tell on myself here. When I first uploaded the pic, I noticed the two catchlights and thought 'what the heck? how'd that happen?' Then it occured to me, I'd set the camera on my desk to take the pic. The second light is my computer monitor. The flash itself was on-camera and I bounced it off a nearby white door (most of the walls in my house are not white but I was able to open a door so that it was parallel to me). The room itself was already reasonably bright (lots of windows).

 

[rgregory1965]

I like it, I think its beautiful

 

[subscuck]

C'mon subscuck, you gotta admit this image is a quantum leap from what we usually see from people just starting out, especially for a SP.

I agree 100%. After looking at the original with fresh eyes today, I can't decide if it's the crop or the bit of bright bg poking thru her hair that keeps pulling my eyes left. I suspect a little of both. I also agree with you about increasing the ratio. I guess to my eyes, the ratio is kind of half way there, i.e., a little more would be dramatic, and even lighting would work as well. As is, it's somewhere in between. But it's still a nice sp of a nice looking young lady. That's why I suggested using it as an avatar.