Self Portrait

[minicoop1985]

Thought I would try my hand at a portrait. Looking for advice, what I did right/wrong, etc. I appreciate any and all help. Done with one softbox to the left, then a halogen behind from below to attempt to separate my gray hair and dark shirt from the black background.

Self portrait by longm1985, on Flickr

No, I wasn't stoned, it was 1:30 AM and I was exhausted.

 

[Braineack]

I dunno...you held pretty still for 1/15.

 

[sscarmack]

1/15? If so, thats what you did wrong haha.

 

[minicoop1985]

2 second timer on remote helps a LOT with that.

Didn't see Carmack's post until now. Anyway, I'll raise ISO and up the shutter speed next time. And I'll look into more powerful bulbs for my boxes.

 

[ruggedshutter]

Shoulders are pretty square but your right is higher. When you tilt your (a male's) head to the higher shoulder it gives it a feminine pose. Also, I would lean forward a tad to elongate your neck a little

 

[mmaria]

nice to see you Michael! you look.... comfortable in front of the camera

I agree with posted above about posing. tilt your shoulders a bit, lean a bit forward, head to the shoulder that's not close to the camera, lose that expression, don't do selfies at that time, and it'll be perfect. we do want perfect, don't we?

 

[minicoop1985]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll give it a whirl again soon (probably tonight), but I'll likely try photos of other people so you don't have to see me all the time.

In all honesty, comfortable is something I NEVER am in front of a camera. :meh: I'd much rather be behind it.

 

[robbins.photo]

Ok,couple of things off the top of my head. First, you smiled. Second, no knife between your teeth. So ya, pretty much right there, serious issues.. lol

 

[minicoop1985]

Ok,couple of things off the top of my head. First, you smiled. Second, no knife between your teeth. So ya, pretty much right there, serious issues.. lol

I have the bayonet from an HK 33 around here somewhere. Maybe I need to find it... As in I'm actually going to do this.

 

[robbins.photo]

Ok,couple of things off the top of my head. First, you smiled. Second, no knife between your teeth. So ya, pretty much right there, serious issues.. lol

I have the bayonet from an HK 33 around here somewhere. Maybe I need to find it... As in I'm actually going to do this.

Lol.. well consider the gauntlet thrown!

 

[robbins.photo]

Hmm.. I wonder if maybe Pix might be able to ship you a hat with a big feather in it - you just know he's got a couple of spares lurking somewhere in that closet of his.. lol

 

[wickie44]

Seems a little yellow to me, could be my screen

 

[kundalini]

The Pose:
The feminine pose has already been addressed, but needs to be repeated. Don't do it like that, man. All posing positions begin with the feet and is the foundation to build upon. Start with one foot in front of the other and have your weight on the rearward heel. This will put your waist at an angle and the leg bone is connected to the neck bone and whallah, you have a forward and rearward angle of your shoulders to the lens. Add to that a higher and a lower shoulder position (back to front) and guess what... more angles for free. You could keep your mask (face) square to the camera, but a slight tilt, nudge, lean to the lower (forward) shoulder and you have created..... Say it with me...... dynamic posing.

Crossed arms create a visual barrier between you and the viewers. Sometimes it is wanted, but this shot doesn't look like you're going for the bad-ass look. Place the hand of your forward shoulder midway of your thigh and the hand of the rearward shoulder on your hip. Damn, I believe you would create even more visually interesting lines.

The Lighting:
It looks like you need to tilt the flash head up about 15° or more. The forearms and watch face are getting the most light. Portraits are (typically) about seeing the face of the subject first and foremost. Since you part your hair on the left, at least it falls that way, consider having your Main light on camera right. This will help alleviate a lot of the shadow that is showing on your forehead. You need more cowbell on the halogen light, methinks.

All in all, not bad. Keep trying it and don't be shy about shooting yourself, especially in the foot.

Lastly...... Grey hair my ass!

 

[minicoop1985]

The Pose:
The feminine pose has already been addressed, but needs to be repeated. Don't do it like that, man. All posing positions begin with the feet and is the foundation to build upon. Start with one foot in front of the other and have your weight on the rearward heel. This will put your waist at an angle and the leg bone is connected to the neck bone and whallah, you have a forward and rearward angle of your shoulders to the lens. Add to that a higher and a lower shoulder position (back to front) and guess what... more angles for free. You could keep your mask (face) square to the camera, but a slight tilt, nudge, lean to the lower (forward) shoulder and you have created..... Say it with me...... dynamic posing.

Crossed arms create a visual barrier between you and the viewers. Sometimes it is wanted, but this shot doesn't look like you're going for the bad-ass look. Place the hand of your forward shoulder midway of your thigh and the hand of the rearward shoulder on your hip. Damn, I believe you would create even more visually interesting lines.

The Lighting:
It looks like you need to tilt the flash head up about 15° or more. The forearms and watch face are getting the most light. Portraits are (typically) about seeing the face of the subject first and foremost. Since you part your hair on the left, at least it falls that way, consider having your Main light on camera right. This will help alleviate a lot of the shadow that is showing on your forehead. You need more cowbell on the halogen light, methinks.

All in all, not bad. Keep trying it and don't be shy about shooting yourself, especially in the foot.

Lastly...... Grey hair my ass!

That is awesome advice. I've never posed myself for a portrait before, so I had no frame of reference (I could have looked it up online, but frankly, I learn better from trial and error)-next time, I definitely will. For the record, there's more gray hair there than it looks like...

As for the yellow, well, it very well could be. Looks right on my monitor, but since it's an older laptop (2009), I don't believe there's a way to calibrate it. I could be wrong. To help with the yellow, I got a new bulb for my softbox, and it should also help with the whole 1/15 thing... I hope.

 

[kundalini]

Lastly...... Grey hair my ass!

... For the record, there's more gray hair there than it looks like... ....

Umm, err, well, hmm, how do I say it?
There's actually grey hair on my ass. The short and curlies went south years ago, but my partner recently mentioned that she saw greys on my ass. That was a sad day in my life, but when I spun around to try and plead my case...........

Let's just say that all is well with the world.