Self Portrait

skiboarder72 · Oct 23, 2008

Trying to take a decent picture of yourself is hard!! I would love some feedback on this attempt at a head shot. Shot with my D300, cable release, 50mm f1.8 @ 1.8, sb-600 bounced off a wall near me

SrBiscuit · Oct 23, 2008

was the background removed?...looks a bit blurry around the edges.
also the flash seems to still be a bit hot IMO...can you further diffuse it?

great sharpness though.

post your progress

kundalini · Oct 23, 2008

SrBiscuit said:
was the background removed?...looks a bit blurry around the edges.

I'm guessing it's shallow depth of field since he shot at f/1.8. Try stopping down, maybe even to f/4.

SrBiscuit said:
also the flash seems to still be a bit hot IMO...can you further diffuse it?

Agree. Are you using TTL or shooting flash manually? On or Off camera?

Nice go at it. Your eyes look a little sleepy though.

skiboarder72 · Oct 23, 2008

thanks, yea the background was removed as well, it was shot at f1.8 so thats why its blurry toward the back of my head, on camera mounted sb-600 pointed at a wall nearby, thanks for the feedback

Do'Urden's Eyes · Oct 23, 2008

i dont think the blur is from the shallow DOF choice though... it just looks like it was softened around the sharp edges from when you trimmed the background.

Photonic Harmony · Oct 24, 2008

I know what you mean about "self portraits", I think yours turned out quite well. I'd probably step down the aperture though to kill the blur. I might have a go at a self portrait myself this weekend.

I love 50mm lenses, fantastic for portrait work!

ChrisOquist · Oct 25, 2008

I think one thing that would be helpful to determine is what the point of this self-portrait is. Is it for a clear, well-lit standard headshot (actually what it sounds like you're going for?) If that's the case I would definitely stop down the aperture - as has been said already - because the shallow depth of field lends the whole thing a dreamy look that doesn't mesh well with that goal, or with the standard, "straight-ahead" pose and smile. I would also stand a bit farther away from the bounced light source, or try to soften it a bit - it's really intense.

If you're looking for something a little more dramatic, try turning so that the light is coming at an angle or from one side - the shadows will completely change the feel of the portrait, and the depth of field might be a bit more appropriate.