Something I really seem to have a problem with is self portraits, not really an issue, but I had some time today to mess around and this is what I came up with. I realize I cut my ear off, but hey, it was hard to frame and Picasso did too [:P]
Canon XTi & 50mm f/1.8 II
1/30s f/2.5 ISO 400
very nice; I apologize that I can't critique it carefully as I do not shoot portraits but for someone who considers self-portraits to be a 'problem' I really like it. Amazing what one can do with a $90 lens. Well, Sean can give you a more detailed critique, but I think you did a nice job.
brendan [H]
Originally Posted by bburns223
hehe....
To be honest, I long for the motivated lighting that's a bit punchier. I realize this was likely 100% ambient, but that makes it a bit flat. Other than that, I think you did a good job capturing yourself with a good smile (something I have quite a bit of trouble with).
Might I suggest making some sort of cheap reflector from cardboard and tin foil to push a little bit more light on your face and cause a little more contrast between highlight and shadow?
Very nice indeed!
to my eye it seems like the white balance is off your a little orange
and this also lacks contrast mainly because the lighting is so limited.
my only suggestion is to work on the lighting.
--Matt
I don't feel the white balance is off.
My rule is that the correct white balance for the lighting on the subject supersedes any resulting color cast of the background. We applied this rule in Brendan's bird photos, for example.
Of course, in a controlled studio environment, it would be ideal to use light sources with a consistent color temperature, but this is not always possible nor is it actually always desirable.
Regarding the self-portrait presented here, it is quite clear that the key light is ambient sunlight or a cooler temperature than the background, which is probably tungsten. If anything, I think the white balance is slightly bluish since the portion of the white cap on the subject's right-hand side is presenting as a little bit blue. I am guessing the camera setting was AWB and the camera set the white point to be somewhere between daylight and tungsten. The result is a little cool on the subject's right half and a little warm on the left half. When you study the image more carefully I think you will agree. I think the result is entirely acceptable, if not ideal.
Aesthetically, for an informal self-portrait, I think it's a good start. A few tips for shooting self-portraits:
- Use a freestanding mirror. This will help you gauge your expression.
- Regarding framing, err on the loose side--you can always crop down later.
- Try using a stand-in, if you have one available.
- Get your exposure correct and then fix the settings.
- Avoid distracting background elements.
- Be persistent!
Thanks for the comments, I do have a flash to work with but I don't have any way of firing it right now except by also using the on board flash and I wasn't really in the mood to mess with it, I suppose I will int he future thoughThe mirror is a great idea, one I hadn't thought of, so is the cardboard reflector. Sean I'm intentionally putting off reading the article you posted on strobism because I'm attempting to build a lens collection right now and I don't want to be tempted to spend all the extra cash on lighting, but that day is coming!
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