Pursuit of the Better Self Portrait ~ Part I

"Photographer's Self Portrait"

I must admit, self portraits are my least favorite project of ALL time. So when I thought about a new two part post on a subject I rarely post about, this totally fit the bill. I say two part post because today I'll show you the first  shot from the beginning of my pursuit for a better self portrait... and next Monday I'll show you the final portrait after my wrestling with off-camera flash, lens choice, and processing... not to mention putting a more positive expression on my face. I was going for smoldering and mysterious.

Seriously. Stop laughing now.

The first part of this session was rough for me. I'm still learning about off-camera lighting. I'm so skittish with light. But I did remember one thing I've learned recently... the closer the light source, the better the light wraps around the entire subject. The further away, the more harsh and hard edged it gets due to fall-off because the light has to travel further to light your subject... er, yourself... you know what I mean. Makes sense but it takes me a second to remember this rule of lighting. So at least I remembered to set my SB-600 on a stand with a diffuser really close to where I would sit... and by close I mean it intruded into my personal space bubble. But it was not directly in front of me either... it sat at a slight angle to me. I also had on the immediate right a large window with soft white curtains diffusing the light. My speedlight was in manual mode, not quite on full power (could have dialed it up a little more), triggered by my on-camera flash which had been dialed down all the way so as to keep from overpowering the shot by itself.

Needless to say, it took many adjustments, and many trips back and forth to the camera to set my flash settings.

But here's where you have to pay attention to the ambient light in the room if you've never worked on this type of shot before, and decide if you want your own lighting to overrule the room's ambient exposure. Or you may want to preserve the light already in the room and simply enhance it. I pretty much overlooked this in the image above, I was so busy just trying to get the camera in a good place, my head in a good spot, and get my gear working the way I learned. Next week you'll see what I decided on.

Oh, and I cloned out all the panicky little beads of sweat across my forehead in this shot by the way. Just saying. It's not easy to put up before & afters, online for all to see. Geez the pressure.

Lastly, we'll talk about lens choice. I used my portrait lens, my 50mm F/1.8 prime, and I think it was the right choice from the start. It gives no visible distortion no matter where you position the lens around the subject... er, yourself... and it has fabulous depth of field. I could have used my telephoto for similar results, but the camera would have been much further away to compensate for it's long range. The wide angle really is a no no for this type of portrait, the minute you angle it the lens slightly distorts various facial features... definitely not a look for me.

So not a terrible self portrait, but not a real prize winner yet. Stay tuned for next Monday when I discuss all the additional things that I needed to change and to see the "after" shot! I will also attempt to have a diagram for you of the final set-up for those that would like to see what worked best in my tiny little work space. Can't wait for PART II... I think.

Have a great day gang, thanks for the challenging ramble!

Direction and Decision ~ Mono Monday!

"Autumn's Last Gift"

Dug into my files for todays image. Truth be told, my photography seems to be in a holding pattern for now. I'm trying to make some decisions, ones that will help my full time approach to photography, and expand my portfolio, and am starting to feel overwhelmed I guess. I'm sure you've all had those days.

The question is "where is all this taking me?"

I have to answer this question in the not too distant future. Not sure how. But I will say this. I'm excited to step out of my comfort zone a bit. If I've learned anything this year it's that there aren't nearly the amount of rules I thought there were as a photographer. So what am I waiting for? I can make my photography go anywhere I want it to! You can too!

Where DO I want my photography to go next?

I'll let you know, when I know.

Changing Seasons In the Camera...

"Before The First Winter Wind"

The days are so much shorter, and the temperature's dropping slowly. I love autumn, mostly because the weather and the light provide ample ways to add a richness to any photograph.

But there's no doubt about it... winter approaches!

I've already noticed that the warm light of late afternoon is beginning to be replaced with the cooler tones of a sun distancing itself for the coming season. Oh sure, there'll still be sunshine. But it's of a different quality for the next while. You're thinking, "she's off her nut! It's the exact same!" But images taken during the winter months have a completely different quality, and science would back me up... possibly.

At any rate, it's a great way to start getting creative with what I might choose to photograph, since I'll no longer have glorious flowers or summery trails at my disposal. I start hunting down older architecture, cemeteries, street photography, and play with my itty bitty studio gear. I switch to more seasonal scenery to inspire, and try my hand at a few new things too... for instance, this week I'm trying to get a self portrait done that I actually like, and next week I'm going to try making my own seamless/backdrop for some fun portrait work I've always wanted to try.

And never fear, I'm not opposed to being out in the weather catching some light on a snowy field or two. I'll keep the landscapes comin'. But much like taking in the patio furniture for the next four months (who am I kidding, more like 6!) I'm already deciding what to change about my photography while the great Canadian winter prepares to give us a good wallop!

If I Had To Be Honest ~ Telephoto Tuesday!

"The Bomber and The Catalina"

Maybe I'm an odd duck. Let me rephrase that... I know I'm an odd duck. But there have always been a few things in the photography world that have puzzled me or that, despite mass interest, I've been reluctant to endorse as a photographer looking to create a career as opposed to a hobby. I thought I'd get them off my chest today. But please know they're only my opinions, and if you are coming from a different place in your photographic journey they may not apply to you in the same way.

Firstly, online photo communities that have a cost to join. Now if you're just getting started and need to surround yourself with various talent and styles, and haven't pegged your true niche yet, or strengths, these are a great tool for learning. Discussions happen, tips are swapped, and there might even be contests that keep you motivated. But honestly, after you've grown, you're simply paying to remain inside a tidy little photographic playground where the only others there are exactly like you. You generally won't see companies lurking these member-only sites looking for future talent, especially local businesses who can connect with you right away... it's JUST more photographers. There's no one who's looking for stock photos, they have sites of their own where you go to them instead. So I'm sorry, but after a while, these feel like a dead end to me unless they have something to connect anyone who'll ever need a photographer in some capacity. Meeting other photographers from around the world is fun, but there's so many free photo communities that offer that, that the paid members-only just seems stifling. In the end, even the free communities can be a drain on your valuable time that could be spent making face to face connections that might open up new opportunities. In fact, Twitter has brought me ten times the opportunities in less than a year, than all the other communities I was once apart of for several years combined! Why?

Because your photography gets exposed to EVERYONE.

Whew. Good to have that off my chest. Next, the group photowalk. Now before anyone gets upset, I'm greatly in favor of meeting other photographers, getting to know them, swapping funny stories and advice. And I'm also in favor of workshops that challenge you to stretch, try knew things and meet some people in the process, because these are usually groups of no more than ten, and you have a vast location to utilize while you focus on learning. I'm talking about the group walks that take place in the local park down the street and about 30 of you swarm it with cameras, and everyone is trying to get the shot no one else will get. It just seems crazy to try to accomplish so much in such an overexposed area. Maybe it's me, but I much rather prefer working alone, able to concentrate completely on my process of learning, exploring, and redefining what I love about a certain location, instead of having to time everything I do around whether someone else is in my spot, or in my shot. I can count on one hand the people I know I can photograph with that don't feel the need to constantly walk the same paths, keep up conversation, or need to compete for "the" shot of the day. Have I done group walks? Yes. Did I get great photos? Yes. But the cons outweighed the pros after a while, and if you're far enough along that you no longer need a life line, be careful that for the sake of being one of the group, you don't get held back. I've seen it happen.

Lastly, make decisions for yourself. I'm all in favor of continued learning, reading the latest photography books, following the blogs of the pros... but as you do all that decide why something does or doesn't work for you, and avoid the bandwagon mentality. Test things for yourself. Stand up for your creative vision. We're discovering as digital photography evolves that the die hard rules of photography, and processing, and use of gear are all changing too. Labs print jpegs way better than they used to, Raw isn't always necessary, sensor size/quality is still more important than mega pixels, and not everything has to be neon-like HDR or special effects to be fabulous photography. And sometimes it does. Know your camera. Stop obsessing about digital noise so much that you never get the shot with the higher ISO. These are just a few examples of what we all struggle with. Decide what's important to where you are and go with it.

Like I said, I feel like these were things I always wanted to say, and was in the mood to say them today. I don't expect everyone to agree, and my views could even be wrong for all I know. But this is the great thing about owning a blog... I get to have my say regardless. Just bein' honest!

Thanks for the ramble... and have a super Tuesday!

It's Glorious ~ Floral Friday!

"Bloomin' Sunshine"

I love a challenge don't you? Right now I'm preparing to try some new avenues within my photography for the coming new year. I'm reassessing my skills, deciding what needs an overhaul, where I might be wasting my time, and how I want to present it all. It excites me. It intimidates me.

It's a glorious process.

I'm going to try to include this process here on the blog... my attempts at change, what I'm getting inspiration from, what I fail at... all of it. My hope is that it'll help someone else out there step out of their comfy zone and embrace a different approach to whatever their own passion is. And as always, I'll keep posting photos!

Anyways, that's my plan over the next little while... just in case you see some changes! Have a groovy Friday gang, and thanks for the ramble!