1st assignment of 2008 - self portraits

If anyone has a problem with me starting this thread please let me know. But I feel like we just need to get it started.

So anyway, everyone has until Feb 15 2008 to take a self portrait of themselves. The camera MUST be triggered by themselves in any manner and must be the main subject of the photo.

Remember, this is an assignment and not a contest. The only person you should be competing against is yourself. Please take this into consideration during the critique that will begin on Feb 16 2008. Do not be afraid to post photos. You will become a better photographer if you do.

Happy Snapping!

i love kennys shot!

hey andrew,
nice DIY ringlight. it makes nice catchlights.

This is an outtake from the Alliance Gear Guide cover shoot. After spending hours with nothing more than a flashlight trying to get some cool looking shots I decided to have some fun and "paint" my face into this frame. I guess that makes it a self portrait of sorts.

Here is a portrait i did of myself.
taken with a ringflash and two strobes at 45 with umbrellas.
there is some PP done but the effects are mainly accomplished with light.
enjoy

Far from a remotely good picture, but that's okay, because it's the craaaaazzzzy hair... This is why I wear a hat at almost all times...

Nick, looks like a young Tom Cruise..

eh, mine's not much of an entry, but this was pretty fun to make.

^ hahaha It turned out good Joe.

I think Josh and I were in the same mindset. I think to use a frame though.

My "omg" face is waaaay better yo.

i guess it's time for critiques.
ryan - i like the light, your ringflash creates a nice depth to the picture, although the strobe to the left i think could be moved either more to the front angle or more to the back. i think it would be better as either just a hairlight or have it be a light for the full left side of your face. the way it is makes a few odd shadows and highlights on your face. like there is no shadow on the front except the nose. its just not even.

walt - i like your use of resricted light or at least the way you exposed it to accentuate the face and hide the rest.

andrew - i like the catchlights, but the overall image is just a tad boring to me. maybe try experimenting with that light source a little more.

garrett - i like the light painting. ps i need a job, u need an assisant over there at alliance??? haha

hopefully everyone finds this helpful, its just my 2 cents. we should decide who makes next topic.

josh

Josh, thanks for the comments on everyones photos. Here I go.

Kenny: I liked your concept but unfortunately I think it was lost in the execution. I cannot tell if I am looking out a window or if I am on the dock with you. Possibly a different angle would have helped.

Eric: I like your rendition of the old Murray ad (I am assuming that is what you were going for?) I think I would have turned yourself a little more strait on to the camera so we could see more of your face though.

Bakes: This one just made me laugh. I thought about doing a fisheye thing but you kinda beat me to it. I think you could have used a little more light down by your mouth though. Funny stuff.

Andrew: I agree completely with Josh. Where this photo is an amazing black and white technically, I would have liked to see something that brought out more personality in your photo. It feels a lot like an actor's headshot.

Garret: Lightpainting is definitely fun. I thought it was cool to see an outtake of a shot we have all seen out there already. There is a weird circle around your head though. I cannot tell if that is from photoshop or where it came from. A bit distracting to me unfortunately.

Josh: I like the use of the frame and the lighting. Your photoshop usage was great as well. (Somebody been looking at Dave Hill and Jill Greensberg lately? haha) The only thing I can think of right now is that it would have been nice to see vertical so you could see more of your hands and less on the sides.

Nick: Being that it is a self portrait I understand that it is kinda hard to get focus on yourself. But with the digital age you can always "chimp" until you get it right.

Umali: Even though your image is one of the least impressive technically I think it is an amazing "self portrait." I think it really tells the story of who you are and what your all about. Everyone knows you are the biggest poster on WW and this is how I always imagine you going about your day. Fun stuff.

Walt: Very funny as well. I like your choice of lack of color. I have no problems with it.

Dustin: I really like the fact that you chose to show yourself without having to use your face. It is always cool to see people that take assignments and "twist" them a little bit. Nice work. I would say a few things though. The fact that you are up against such a white wall and you are wearing dark clothing really makes the contrast harsh and my attention goes to the dirty wall behind you. Using the direct flash off your camera also creates some harsh shadows on the wall which are distracting as well. If you don't have any studio stuff or remotes to work with you can always take full advantage of corners. I would step a bit further away from the wall to separate yourself from it and bounce the flash into the adjacent wall on either camera left or right. It will help soften the light and send it from a direction that is more flattering to your subject.

Me: I agree that the lights are in weird places. Unfortunately I had grandiose ideas for a self portrait but ended up running out of time to do so (aka being lazy.) This photo was taken between setups for a band shoot I did last week. I am kinda bummed I didn't get to do anything too cool but I still enjoy the photo. My hair also blocks a lot of the light on my face which didn't come across the the other photos. All and all its a decent photo.

Well, thats it for now. I hope everyone doesn't take anything I said too seriously. I am only pointing out things that I think would help you become a better photographer. I am a firm believer that the more you show your photos to people the better of a photographer you will become. Especially if you listen and more importantly participate in the discussions. So please, feel free to throw in your two cents and do not be afraid to point out the mistakes, flaws, and harsh realities of some of the photos.

ryan, haha! yeah, i didn't really put any effort in the shot. maybe it could have been planned/put together better, but it was the only idea i had, didn't really want to spend a lot of time on it, and just wanted to submit something other than pics of my dogs.

anyway, my picks are joshua's and ryan's.

Yeah, I put no effort forth into this one. I've got a somewhat better one now, but this one had the camera resting on top of a recycle bin on top of a microwave which is on top of a fridge, and I still had to crouch down. As it stands though, my camera is retarded about focusing, so even pictures that I take just normally don't even focus...

anyone got any good ideas for next month? maybe like a satire or irony shot? ie. the guy smoking by the non smoking sign. that kinda thing.

Just got a Green Screen so i figured i would mess with it a bit.

riley, are you an amputee?

Is this any better? Yes I overlaid a grunge cracks type image over it and then erased the center of it with a grunge brush... Lighting is from a window with the shades down and slightly closed. Not the greatest in focus, again, but yeah...

Yes i am an amputee. I was involved in a bad wakeboard accident 3 years and had to have both my legs removed. I was trying to make it look like i was standing in the picture like the "good old days"

Thanks for bringing up a sore subject..

maybe this one wont make me look like an amputee.

wow. don't i feel like an ahole. sorry dude.

Don't feel too bad, i was just joking..

sonuva!!!

by the way, your shot in your "about me" page is sick!

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to check out my site man! I appreciate it!

Kenny,
I like it but some of the distractions need to be cleaned up.

Eric,
I'm a little confused as to what is going on here.

Bakes,
You made me laugh and I thank you for that.

Andrew,
You should of shot this portrait and I don't understand the aspect ratio. I'm not a big fan of the catch lights either.

Garrett,
It's time for some pay back.

I like the way everything looks carefully thought out as far as the layout of product but it's so dark that it just kills it. I think it could of been lightened up quite a bit and still retained the mood. Your face on the wall looks out of place and doesn't flow with the shot.

Josh,
I dig your shot but I don't like the way your knuckles are cut off and the halo around your head. I really like the color/tone and idea.

Nick,
No effort and it shows.

Joe,
I've got to back Ryan on this one. You created a little story there and put some thought into what you where doing.

Ryan,
I like the shot but don't know why you didn't shoot it portrait. The dead space has to go.

With that said I think your one of the best and most creative photogs on WW.

Dustin,
It's kind of a cool shot but I think the color puts me off of it. I don't like the shadow and scuffs on the wall either. B&W might of made a big difference to me ?

My shot,
I'd rather be behind the lens and it shows.


I'll throw a suggestion out there for the next assignment.

(Street photography)
Take a shot of a total stranger with no more than a 70 MM lens. That means you have to get in their face and take a candid shot. You can shoot from the side but nothing from behind. Try to make it as edgy as possible.

WCW, check the second picture of mine. I don't exactly expect rave reviews, but I personally think that it's a little bit better than the first pic... Which was just kind of a spur of the moment thing that I figured I'd put on here because I don't take that many pictures of myself. I actually set up the light as per the best I could do with a tripod, a point and shoot, a window, and a lightswitch in a lounge. Plus the color settings on the camera were changed, as was the exposure, at least about as much as one can with a little point and shoot camera. If I could edit the post and put in the new picture I would. Didn't have a tripod until Friday...

Nick,

I'm not trying to be harsh or negative but it looks like a point and shoot shot. I didn't comment on your second photo because it was after the due date and you should only post one shot.

I know it's hard having your work criticized but try to put some consideration into the C&C that others have taken the time to give. You don't have to agree with it but try to put some thought into it. I have learned and still am learning by the feed back from others. It's a great tool.

Please don't take it personal and I look forward to seeing more of your photography,

Walt

Oh, I know it was a point and shoot shot, I just said it was, lol. It's a bad picture, I even admitted it in the thing. I've got no problem with criticism, most of my work does suck, but I like hearing what people think of it. Looking at some of the other stuff here, I've got another picture I'm working on specifically for my profile picture. I wish I had had the tripod that I needed to get the picture done in time, but I didn't, so yeah. The first shot was utterly horrible though, and was initially meant as just a facebook profile picture. Sorry if I've broken any common sense/courtesy rules in this entire thing.

Definitely not taking it personal and I look forward to hearing more criticism, as it only helps in the long run. Plus, I figure if I can get some decent pictures done eventually with this Norcent POS, then when I finally get my SLR I'll be a little better off than (a little!) than most beginner photographers.

Hey man, I definitely think your second picture had a lot more thought and planning put into it. I definitely would have chosen to post that one instead. The lack of tripod makes me really want to see the setup that you created the first image with. I can only imagine your camera balancing on top of college waste bins and other junk. I LOVE that kind of stuff.

That being said I want to remind everyone that it is not the gear that you have but what you do with it. I cannot count the numerous odd glances and criticism I get from the gaffers and grips on my film/video shoots when I ghettorig a dolly out of PVC or balance my jib with milk jugs filled with the right amount of water. As ugly as it may be it is really the final image that really matters.

I would like to propose another future assignment (to possibly be done at a later date since we just used one of mine) but that would be to have a holga assignment or a point and shoot assignment. Really strip photography down to its bare bones and see what everyone can come up with. Could be kind of fun. I know everytime I pull my holga out it feels so refreshing to rid my brain of fstops and shutter sync speeds for a while and really focus on what I am doing. (no pun intended.)

But anyway. I am also a big fan of Walts "street" assignment. Sounds like fun!

Nick,
I misunderstood your post. My apologies !

Ryan,
We could combine the two ideas. (Holga street)

I went back and read it, and then realized it looked like I was talking about the first picture. That one's on me bro, so no apologies or anything needed. Holga street sounds like a recipe for a restraining order and assault charges. I'm in!

JK ( on the restraining order and assault charges thing... hopefully...)