These are all great Heather. It shows what you can do with some cheap alternatives for your flash. Your son is so cute and I love his freckles too. You did great on your self portraits. I tried some yesterday and I never look as relaxed and at ease as you did. Great job!
As an addendum to this, I will say that y'all inspired me to do another small batch of SPs this evening - I decided I'd mix work and pleasure and set up the camera to frame me practicing while sitting at the piano. Due to, uh, user error on flash placement and the consequent Shadows Of Your Nightmares (big oops) I will NOT be posting them, but hope to try another batch at some point. But this thread is what reminded me to go try some more, so thanks!!
Oh, and Heather, look at it this way: if you're NOT as gorgeous IRL as in your photos (which I don't believe yet , this simply proves that you're an even better photographer than we thought so either way it is inescapable that you rock!
Ok Divamom- you are on! You take 'em- you share 'em... thats the what you got to do! If you didn't like last nights, make some tonight that you DO like! Go get 'em Lady!
SPs are a pain, but you can get some great ones if you follow a couple of tricks: Get that camera above you just a bit... That works great to smooth out any "things" that might need smoothing.
Stick that chin out like your neck is doing the first part of the "chicken dance". That will give you a really nicely defined jaw line.
And then focus on your hand while looking through the viewfinder. Then set it to manual focus. Get on the business side of the camera and measure the distance with your hand/arm to make sure your eyes and nose will be within the DOF that you set it earlier. Then set off the timer. Usually, I end up setting off the timer accidentaly while doing the focus on the hand part and end up dashing around the camera to get in place for the shot. Yeah, that is coordination in action! And I really did find that the light from the giant better bounce card was kind of nice and soft so long as you didn't turn your head the wrong way. But I sure wouldn't use it for much since it was cumbersome and kept slipping off.
And one more tip- don't give up! It takes a while to figure out the focusing part and how to pose yourself is less than natural.
So if I ever meet any of you you will know why I am doing the "chicken dance". Gotta look like my picture!
These are all great Heather. It shows what you can do with some cheap alternatives for your flash. Your son is so cute and I love his freckles too. You did great on your self portraits. I tried some yesterday and I never look as relaxed and at ease as you did. Great job!
Are you going to share? You better. I can't be the only one out on this limb. Well not the only one... But you know what I mean.
Ah, go ahead and post them. If nothing else, it'll give the rest of us either something to laugh at or something to make us feel better about our work:D
Ha! Alas, they're just bad enough to be embarrassing and not so TRULY awful that they'll provide hilarity. If they were funny enough, I"d gladly share .
That said, there's one that I may be persuaded to post as "diva in natural habitat" (well, that was the intention - I think "diva with no makeup on trying to take self-portraits in messy music room" is probably closer to the reality!!)
Heather, LOVE the family roundup - and yer ALL gorgeous, so there too!
So what do we have to do to get you to share?:poke (and you thought I wouldn't notice that sentence...)
rolleyesrolleyes
(never let it be said opera singers don't have a sense of humour.... )
Exhibit A - how NOT to take a self portrait :crazy (or at least "Why you should always double check that your flash looks the way you think it does even after you move it to a different position")
(In my defense, I really WAS singing while I clicked, so the face is just one of those Stupid Singer Faces - we all look dreadful with our mouths open!)
Particular items of note are in RED (yes Scott, here is your laugh du jour!)
And the one I can almost live with, below (very unmade-up and I feel like I look about 110, but at least I look 110 and relatively pleasant, shadow-free, and moderately well-composed And yes I know there are no catchlights - the entire point of the exercise tonight was to experiment with bouncing the flash off the ceiling but from a 45 degree angle off-camera. Just because I wanted to see how it would look (see? You've created a monster - all I want to do is EXPERIMENT!!!)
(never let it be said opera singers don't have a sense of humour.... )
Exhibit A - how NOT to take a self portrait :crazy (or at least "Why you should always double check that your flash looks the way you think it does even after you move it to a different position")
(In my defense, I really WAS singing while I clicked, so the face is just one of those Stupid Singer Faces - we all look dreadful with our mouths open!)
Particular items of note are in RED (yes Scott, here is your laugh du jour!)
And the one I can almost live with, below (very unmade-up and I feel like I look about 110, but at least I look 110 and relatively pleasant, shadow-free, and moderately well-composed And yes I know there are no catchlights - the entire point of the exercise tonight was to experiment with bouncing the flash off the ceiling but from a 45 degree angle off-camera. Just because I wanted to see how it would look (see? You've created a monster - all I want to do is EXPERIMENT!!!)
Love the first one regardless- Perfect pose for a singer- eyebrows nicely raised and your palate seems nice and full. And I am not laughing one bit! I just think you are cute! My sis (Amberly) is a music instructor and she is fond of the 3 step technique to get yourself to sing at least 5 notes higher. I once caught her explaining the process at a recital to break the ice: (oh she'd kill me for sure if she knew I posted this...)
Your expression is so cute in the last one! But you are right- you need more light in your face. If it were me, a simple (and free) way to make that happen and light up your background like you have... is just to put a Better bounce card on your flash with a black hairband. That would create your catch lights you desire and it would reflect enough light into your face to fill in the eyes and give your hair some texture.
Love the first one regardless- Perfect pose for a singer- eyebrows nicely raised and your palate seems nice and full. And I am not laughing one bit! I just think you are cute! My sis (Amberly) is a music instructor and she is fond of the 3 step technique to get yourself to sing at least 5 notes higher. I once caught her explaining the process at a recital to break the ice: (oh she'd kill me for sure if she knew I posted this...)
Your expression is so cute in the last one! But you are right- you need more light in your face. If it were me, a simple (and free) way to make that happen and light up your background like you have... is just to put a Better bounce card on your flash with a black hairband. That would create your catch lights you desire and it would reflect enough light into your face to fill in the eyes and give your hair some texture.
The one of your sis is priceless!!!!!!!!
You know, I actually have a BBC in my bag and didn't think to use it... because I was so fixated on experimenting with bouncing off the ceiling from off camera on the "what does it look like if...?" principle. This all boils down to me trying to learn cause/effect through experimenting so that one of these days I'll actually know the effect BEFORE I press the shutter button.....
The other thing I learned tonight is that flash bounced off large mirror (over the piano, off camera right) does NOT equal 2x flash. Oh well... it was worth a try!
OK- so now I have gone out on a limb. I decided to post #5 of (the SP) to the contest.... and now I am so freakin' freaked out! I don't know why I am so darn nervous because what is the worst that can happen- I loose? Oh, poor me!
I think the big deal for me is that it is just weird to present a photo of yourself and thus imply to the world that it might be better than the other amazing photos that folks have put up. And.... I am a big chicken to boot!
I have entered the challenges before, but it resulted in sleepless nights and my nails chewed to nubbins. I haven't entered in almost a year- partially because of that, and partially because I was lazy and didn't already have anything fresh to fit the challenge theme. Well, this year I would like to change my laziness- and actually shoot with the challenge in mind. I got off easy for my first one, don't you think?
Good for you, Heather. I must admit, I am TOTALLY out of my depth on this challenge - without having to "shoot to theme" I was completely clueless, and boy are there are amazing entries!!
Glad you've joined in. I could'nt have been doing the portrait stuff I'm doing now if achambers and jeffreaux2 hadn't pushed me to jump into the challenges back in August, thus leading to all this other stuff (well, and fuelling the total obsession ) so the challenges forum is my "warm fuzzy" place regardless of win, lose or otherwise. I just like how it makes me learn (and the people are so much fun too!)
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Now wouldn't that be nice! I think the options for the 5D are 6 and 9 seconds, so that is a 1 up on Canons! (Did I just type that aloud?)
Ok Divamom- you are on! You take 'em- you share 'em... thats the what you got to do! If you didn't like last nights, make some tonight that you DO like! Go get 'em Lady!
SPs are a pain, but you can get some great ones if you follow a couple of tricks: Get that camera above you just a bit... That works great to smooth out any "things" that might need smoothing.
Stick that chin out like your neck is doing the first part of the "chicken dance". That will give you a really nicely defined jaw line.
And then focus on your hand while looking through the viewfinder. Then set it to manual focus. Get on the business side of the camera and measure the distance with your hand/arm to make sure your eyes and nose will be within the DOF that you set it earlier. Then set off the timer. Usually, I end up setting off the timer accidentaly while doing the focus on the hand part and end up dashing around the camera to get in place for the shot. Yeah, that is coordination in action! And I really did find that the light from the giant better bounce card was kind of nice and soft so long as you didn't turn your head the wrong way. But I sure wouldn't use it for much since it was cumbersome and kept slipping off.
And one more tip- don't give up! It takes a while to figure out the focusing part and how to pose yourself is less than natural.
So if I ever meet any of you you will know why I am doing the "chicken dance". Gotta look like my picture!
Are you going to share? You better. I can't be the only one out on this limb. Well not the only one... But you know what I mean.
Ha! Alas, they're just bad enough to be embarrassing and not so TRULY awful that they'll provide hilarity. If they were funny enough, I"d gladly share
That said, there's one that I may be persuaded to post as "diva in natural habitat" (well, that was the intention - I think "diva with no makeup on trying to take self-portraits in messy music room" is probably closer to the reality!!)
Heather, LOVE the family roundup - and yer ALL gorgeous, so there too!
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(never let it be said opera singers don't have a sense of humour....
Exhibit A - how NOT to take a self portrait :crazy (or at least "Why you should always double check that your flash looks the way you think it does even after you move it to a different position")
(In my defense, I really WAS singing while I clicked, so the face is just one of those Stupid Singer Faces - we all look dreadful with our mouths open!)
Particular items of note are in RED (yes Scott, here is your laugh du jour!)
And the one I can almost live with, below (very unmade-up and I feel like I look about 110, but at least I look 110 and relatively pleasant, shadow-free, and moderately well-composed
Your expression is so cute in the last one! But you are right- you need more light in your face. If it were me, a simple (and free) way to make that happen and light up your background like you have... is just to put a Better bounce card on your flash with a black hairband. That would create your catch lights you desire and it would reflect enough light into your face to fill in the eyes and give your hair some texture.
The one of your sis is priceless!!!!!!!!
You know, I actually have a BBC in my bag and didn't think to use it... because I was so fixated on experimenting with bouncing off the ceiling from off camera on the "what does it look like if...?" principle. This all boils down to me trying to learn cause/effect through experimenting so that one of these days I'll actually know the effect BEFORE I press the shutter button.....
The other thing I learned tonight is that flash bounced off large mirror (over the piano, off camera right) does NOT equal 2x flash. Oh well... it was worth a try!
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It's all about the moment...
I think the big deal for me is that it is just weird to present a photo of yourself and thus imply to the world that it might be better than the other amazing photos that folks have put up. And.... I am a big chicken to boot!
I have entered the challenges before, but it resulted in sleepless nights and my nails chewed to nubbins. I haven't entered in almost a year- partially because of that, and partially because I was lazy and didn't already have anything fresh to fit the challenge theme. Well, this year I would like to change my laziness- and actually shoot with the challenge in mind. I got off easy for my first one, don't you think?
Good for you, Heather. I must admit, I am TOTALLY out of my depth on this challenge - without having to "shoot to theme" I was completely clueless, and boy are there are amazing entries!!
Glad you've joined in. I could'nt have been doing the portrait stuff I'm doing now if achambers and jeffreaux2 hadn't pushed me to jump into the challenges back in August, thus leading to all this other stuff (well, and fuelling the total obsession