Self Portrait Project Day 5

Day 5 is the first composite image for my Self Portrait Project.

Take a look at "Tangled in My Thoughts"

I combined three different images to create this finished image.

First I photographed myself against a leafy green background outside. I made sure to use a shallow depth of field so it would be soft behind me. When layering in Photoshop, I cropped in and tilted the image to get the look I wanted.

Next I found some bare branches on trees, and photographed several areas, making sure to focus on various parts to create a few different focus points. 

This gave the branches an interesting look and forces the viewer to linger among them to figure out what is happening there, as multiple focus points are not what the eye is accustomed to seeing in a photograph with shallow depth of field.

I layered the branches over my profile and proceeded to add in and subtract areas to create the look I wanted.

Then I adjusted the density, color, hue and saturation, along with minimal retouching to slightly brighten my eye and smooth a spot on my forehead.

The final result is interesting, and is exactly what I imagined.

Portraits don't always have to be smiley, looking into the lens shots. Sometimes the mood is more important.

What do you think?

What emotion do you think this image conveys?

Tech Info:

Canon 60D

Tamron 28-300mm lens

ISO 200 for face image

ISO 400 for branches images

Both at

1/60th second

F 5

Flash was not used for these images.

Self Portrait Project Day 6 (Preempting Day 5)

Hi, and welcome back to my Self Portrait Project.

I decided to preempt Day 5 which needs a bit more work in compositing, and show today's session first.

If I had to choose a title for this, it would simply be called "Depression."  

I chose to crop the image on the left above my lips because when I am struggling in the darkness, I feel like I have no voice. 

I used a higher camera angle for the image on the right to show that I feel beaten down in this emotional state.

The dark black and white images relate to how I feel inside.

No make-up.

No retouching.

Just my bare skin and emotion.

Tech details:

ISO 2500

F 4.5

1/40th sec

Focal length 33mm

Canon 60D

Canon 18-55mm Image Stabilizing Lens

No flash.

Lighting was tungsten 40 watt bulb with standard 

lamp shade for diffusion.

Self Portrait Project Day 4 The 3/4 body crop.

In all of the years that I've been a professional photographer, I have never met anyone who didn't have some concern about their body and how they would look in a photograph.

I wouldn't call it vanity so much as I would call it anxiety. It is no wonder we feel inadequate with our looks.We are bombarded every day with images of the 'beautiful people' that have been airbrushed and Photoshopped to perfection, and sometimes beyond. How can the average person measure up to that standard when even the models and actors are not perfect enough?

Each culture and each period in history has its own standard of beauty. Did you know that? During the late 1800's and early 1900's, fatter women were considered more attractive. 

I think it's time we stopped being so freaked out about our appearance. Let's love our own bodies. Let's embrace our differences and celebrate our uniqueness. Sure, we have things we'd like to emphasize or de-emphasize in our portraits so we can look our best, but let's remember that each of us has our own beauty. 

I know, that's easier said than done, but I can help you look your best. Lots of people have told me that they don't photograph well. My answer is always the same, "You just haven't had the right photographer yet." 

Let's look at today's images. They are all cropped at or near

mid-thigh. This is known as the 3/4 length crop. 

First my favorite

There is lots to like about this image. I like my expression, the way my hair is covering my double chin, the light filtering through the leaves and highlighting my hair,

the 'good' side of my face is showing, and the way I'm standing is pretty flattering for most women.(Hip pushed back away from the camera, torso twisted. 

In addition, I've utilized the shoot-through technique that I adore. Having something leafy in the foreground adds depth and dimension, and can cover critical areas that we don't want showing, like my plus-sized hiney for example.

Are there improvements that could be made to the background and my pose? Sure, but I still like this image. 

I did do a few quick Photoshop changes to this picture; I created a slight vignette, blurred the edges a little, and increased the contrast. If I were preparing this for a client, I'd spend more time perfecting the image, but this is good for a quick edit.

Next let's look at another pose in this series that shows what NOT to do.

 My torso isn't angled away from the camera as much as the first image, and my hip is pointing toward the camera. This pose adds the appearance of weight rather than subtracting as in the first image. This pose isn't as flattering for my breasts, my stomach, or my face. I do like the way my left eye looks, my hand, and my smile.

No Photoshop changes were made to this image.

Finally, let's look at the third image from today:

The tummy pose is flattering for just about everyone. Sure, you can still tell that I'm a larger woman. However, the camera perspective, the light adding definition to the shape of my back, and the relaxing nature of this pose make it a favorite.

I like my smile, the light in my hair, and how happy and relaxed I look here.

As we've previously discussed, my hair is helping to disguise my weaker left jawline, and my smaller left eye.
I could have brushed my hair away from my eyes and still looked good though. This camera angle forces the subject to look up, and that opens up the eyes very nicely in most cases.

I could make a few changes to the hand posing for a more graceful look, and could slim myself a bit with Photoshop if I wanted to. Overall though, the pose is flattering and the image is pleasing.

What do you think?

Do you agree with my comments?

Tech info:

Canon EOS 60D

F9

1/250

ISO 200

Lens

Sigma 28-300mm zoom

Flash

Canon Speedlight 430EXII

1/1 power

Flash modifier Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce

Self Portrait Project Day 3. The Wet Hair Look.

Have I told you that Herb Ritts is my all time favorite photographer? I have always been inspired by his use of light and shadow, his ability to utilize water to add interest to his work, and his mastery of black and white photography. He had a way of capturing the human form with such grace and beauty, sometimes it makes my heart ache when I look at his images.

When I started thinking about what I wanted to do for today's photo session, I decided to pay homage to Herb Ritts and do a black and white, wet hair look.

I wanted very strong features for this session since I knew that I would be doing high contrast black and white photography.

I used my Cover Girl foundation to even out my skintone, 

bronzer to darken areas of my face that I wanted to minimize; the sides of my forehead and temples, my cheeks and neck,

Mauve lip color on the sides of my nose to minimize my wide-ish nostrils and contour the sides of my nose.  You can see that I didn't get the line exactly straight on the right side of my nose, and it shows up in the finished images. Do'h! (Good thing I don't claim to be a make-up artist, eh? LOL )


white cream make-up to add highlights under my eyebrows, in the inner corners of my eyes, my cheekbones (I didn't do the greatest job on this part, unfortunately), the bridge of my nose, and my cupid's bow. 

dark bronze eye shadow on my lips to really darken them (made a boo boo by putting some vaseline lip balm to make them softer and it smudged the color all to heck and I had to reapply the bronze.

and
mascara on my eyelashes, as a smudger under my lower lashes, and on my eyebrows.

Not pictured: mauve lip color

As you can see in this picture, the results are a nightmare for color photography. Really hideous!

Next I wet down my hair. In this first shot, my hair was very wet. I  like everything about this image except that I'm not smiling very much, just a tease at the corners of my mouth. A bit more would have been perfect. Oh well.

Let's talk about posing for a moment. Note how my left hand is gently scrunching my hair and not pressing on the side of my face. Relaxed hands are important! My right hand is shielding my double chin and acting as an anchor for the image to balance out the use of the other hand. In a tightly cropped image such as this one, having one crazy hand or a few random fingers can ruin the shot.

Retouching: My allergies have been acting up a lot these past few days so my eye area is extra puffy. I minimized the under eye lines and puffiness, and softened my skin overall. I also brightened my right eye.

This next image is when my hair had dried somewhat but was still damp. This is a tiny bit drier than the hair should look for a session like this in my opinion, but I like this shot anyway.

Retouching: I softened my skin, minimized my under-eye lines and puffiness, and softened my lips slightly. I also brightened my right eye.  I could have chosen to remove the curl of hair on the tip of my nose, but it doesn't bother me. I actually like it.

What do you think? 
Do you like the black and white wet hair look?

Tech info:

Canon EOS 60D
ISO 100
Fstop: 22
1/250/second

Lens: Canon EFS 18-55 Image Stabilizer
Focal length: 18mm

Flash: Canon Speedlite 430EXII
ETTL
Zoom 24mm
Power 1/2
Tilt: 75º bouncing light off the (9 ft. white) ceiling as well as soft light from the front of the flash.
Flash modifier: Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce