Self Portrait

krisbphoto

Took this last night at 3 AM.
I believe it's an accurate reflection of how I feel during finals.



Especially considering that I'm a freshmen, haven't been home or seen family in 5 months, don't like my classes, or school (transferring to SCAD next fall for photography! Can't take another political science course...) Sorry - I need to get out of here! :barb

I made the white balance warmer than "correct," increased the contrast, and brought up some of the blacks. It was taken in my bathroom (of an 80 year old building, desperately in need of renovation).

I looked at the mirror before going to bed, though I looked pretty rough - kind of like from Fight Club, and decided to once again indulge myself in photography.

C&C Welcome

JenGrace

I like the concept overall, and you do look pretty stressed. It looks to me as if your nose is the focus point rather than your eyes. Sharp eyes are important for portraits, even if they are a little shadowed. :

krisbphoto

Thanks! Maybe you could help me out with that.

I took it with the 50mm f/1.4.

1/60, f/1.8, ISO 800.

The problem is, taking the picture. With the shallow depth of field, OOF is very evident. I was doing my best (it took me about 20 tries to even get in the frame properly), I held a towel out at arm level and in front of the background, auto focused on it, then made manual adjustments before stepping into the frame and using the 10 second self-timer. Is there a better way to set up the photo (I had it on a tri-pod)? A better way to focus it?

Thanks!

JenGrace

These challenges are what make photography fun.

If you're all by yourself with no one to help, then I might suggest focusing your camera on something a precise distance away (like exactly 2.5 feet maybe). Use something small like a statuette. Then set your camera up and carefully position yourself to stand just that far from the camera. It's obviously gonna take more than one try. Good luck.

Elaine

I like the facial expression and pose, but I would also wish to see at least a bit more of your eyes and have the WB adjusted. If you're going for a certain attitude, your eyes will help you get there...having them completely in shadow does not make the photo take on that attitude automatically, IMO.
Do you have any sort of remote for your camera? I used my remote when doing my self-portrait last night. If you do, you could get your position lined up with a few practice shots, choose your focus point, then use your remote to focus on your face while you're standing in the correct position. I'm thinking you may have to go deeper than a 1.8 will offer, but...

Good luck! It's great fun and great practice to work on shots like this, I think.

Elaine

antonjo

Self portrait shoud IMHO show, something about You besides Your face only.
Your hobby, something that is important for You, anything that would give a kind of background. This photo doesn't tell anything about You, so all I can say, is keep trying

Regards

krisbphoto

Thanks for the input, but I have more than just one.