Self Portraits.

ZombiesniperJr · Feb 27, 2020

Looking for comments and criticism. i will probably spend more time editing these over the weekend. which one do you like the most and why? I'm looking to update my profile picture on my social media.
1

Self portrait 3 by Logan Baldwin, on Flickr
2

Self portrait 2 by Logan Baldwin, on Flickr
3

Self portrait 1 by Logan Baldwin, on Flickr

WalterRowe · Feb 27, 2020

My personal opinion .. the lighting is nice.

The pose is a little cool even though you have a smile. Facing straight at the camera (shoulders square to the camera) isn’t as warm and inviting. Try angling your body and shoulders to the side of camera a little so your head has to turn a little to face the camera. Also maybe set the camera a little higher so it angles down slightly at you. You also might consider a less casual shirt .. maybe a polo with a collar. Doesn’t have to be a dress shirt .. just something with a color.

You are on the right track. Keep it up!

Derrel · Feb 27, 2020

I like #3 the best of these.

SquarePeg · Feb 28, 2020

I can only see the first one. Looks good - lighting and focus. Agree about the straight on pose and maybe a darker shirt ( but not black). Also, just my own personal preference- either smile a bit bigger or no smile. The small half smile is not as flattering as a genuine smile or more serious look.

ZombiesniperJr · Feb 28, 2020

SquarePeg said:
I can only see the first one. Looks good - lighting and focus. Agree about the straight on pose and maybe a darker shirt ( but not black). Also, just my own personal preference- either smile a bit bigger or no smile. The small half smile is not as flattering as a genuine smile or more serious look.

Im not sure whats going on with the 2nd two. I've replaced the link multiple times but they still won't work. i'll try again a bit later to see if i can get it working properly. and yeah i think i'll just not smile. the 2nd one has a bit more of a genuine smile for some reason i find it hard to genuinely smile when doing self portraits. i might go back down this weekend to try and get some more photos.

ZombiesniperJr · Feb 28, 2020

WalterRowe said:
My personal opinion .. the lighting is nice.

The pose is a little cool even though you have a smile. Facing straight at the camera (shoulders square to the camera) isn’t as warm and inviting. Try angling your body and shoulders to the side of camera a little so your head has to turn a little to face the camera. Also maybe set the camera a little higher so it angles down slightly at you. You also might consider a less casual shirt .. maybe a polo with a collar. Doesn’t have to be a dress shirt .. just something with a color.

You are on the right track. Keep it up!

Thanks. I'll try the angling slightly next time. i'll also see if our other tripod is a bit taller. and i'll also see about a better shirt. last night was kinda just randomly decided i wanted to get some self portraits done.

SquarePeg · Feb 28, 2020

ZombiesniperJr said:
SquarePeg said:

I can only see the first one. Looks good - lighting and focus. Agree about the straight on pose and maybe a darker shirt ( but not black). Also, just my own personal preference- either smile a bit bigger or no smile. The small half smile is not as flattering as a genuine smile or more serious look.

Click to expand...

Im not sure whats going on with the 2nd two. I've replaced the link multiple times but they still won't work. i'll try again a bit later to see if i can get it working properly. and yeah i think i'll just not smile. the 2nd one has a bit more of a genuine smile for some reason i find it hard to genuinely smile when doing self portraits. i might go back down this weekend to try and get some more photos.

When I have trouble posting my photos from Flickr it’s usually because the file size is too big. Try changing the file size to something a bit smaller and it should work.

I totally get the thing about smiling on command. It’s always better if it’s a genuine smile which sometimes having another person taking the shot, they can coax a real smile out of you but if you’re doing a self portrait it’s kind of awkward.

K9Kirk · Mar 3, 2020

It's pretty good overall so I'll just point out what stands out the most to me and I'll try and keep it short & sweet. (ha, right)
1. Be relaxed, don't be stiff and think of something nice like maybe an awesome owl you saw flying over the snow that you got a good shot of. It doesn't have to be an actual big smile, the eyes can smile when you're thinking of something you like a lot and that's enough. A plastic smile (not that yours was) never works, keep that in mind.
2. For more formal portraits wear clothes that match the type portrait you're doing. If I were outdoors I would want a portrait done wearing a t-shirt because that's just me. I only dress casual when I go out to eat, etc. I would feel weird wearing anything more (outdoor shot) and it would show in the picture with mile expression of disapproval.
3. You're doing well, keep it up.