# Self-Portrait Lighting Experiment



## Redhotpengy (Jan 25, 2012)

Hey guys! I just wanted some critique on a photo that I took of myself today. It's my first experiment with a lot of lighting.

Basically my setup was confined to a small room. My goal for this picture was very dramatic portrait, but with a blank background.

Here was a picture I took from behind the scenes,








This is the only had the lighting equipment I had, since I'm not a professional. I'm more of a natural lighting sort of guy 
It's basically a poor man's studio lol. 
Anyways, as you can see I have my Canon 60d on my tripod (I later rotated the head), with two lights attached to it to get as much lighting as I can to my face. I then had the two halogen lights for my key and filler (I later made them higher).

I took about 30 raw pictures and then decided I had enough pictures. So, I put all of this away, found the picture I liked, and started working in Photoshop. An hour and a half later (and a couple of tweaks later on), I have my finished product (Click the link to see the picture, then click on the picture to see the picture in a higher resolution),






It was a picture very inspired by James Bond. 

The settings for my shot were,

F/stop = 4.5
ISO = 100
Focal length = 35mm

Please tell me what you think! Thanks


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## Frequency (Jan 26, 2012)

Your posing and mood are fine
Again what is the dark spot below your nose? need immediate operation 

Regards


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## kundalini (Jan 26, 2012)

Since you embedded your setup shot, why not embed the actual SP?  You'll probably get more responses.


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 26, 2012)

Done.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Jan 26, 2012)

Nice! 

With the right white balance and additional camera settings, continuous make-shift do-it-yourself lighting works great.


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## kundalini (Jan 26, 2012)

At first glance, this is a pretty decent image, even though I'm not usually fond of the shoulders being square to the camera.  Looking further, there are a few points woth noting.

IMO, your lights are set too low.  This is noticed by the fact your shirt is brighter than your face.  Also, the shadows of your collar are extending up on your neck.  Setting the lights higher would bring out more detail in your lapels.

The cropping of your hands are not the best.  Either have more at the bottom to give some room for them or choose a tighter crop.

I would suggest for you to "follow your nose" a bit more so there is a bit of white on both side of you eye.  If you have a particular spot that you want the viewer to see where you're looking, turn your head slightly.

There seems to be a bit of smuding on the background.  Was this done in post to remove shadows on the wall?  Steeping further away from the background will reduce or completely elinate this altoghether.

Lastly......... wear a belt.  

Thanks for posting the SP.


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 26, 2012)

Thanks for the advice! I will take this into consideration, the problem is that these lights don't go any brighter, but I will note that in the future if I ever do other shoot and have that equipment available. BTW my hands aren't cropped, they're in my pocket  Yea the minute I saw the picture the biggest problem were those shadows :\

Yea, there was a bit of smudging. It's a little harder to notice on the original file since it's a little brighter.

Thanks again!


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## 2WheelPhoto (Jan 26, 2012)

Redhotpengy said:


> Thanks for the advice! I will take this into consideration, *the problem is that these lights don't go any brighter*, but I will note that in the future if I ever do other shoot and have that equipment available. BTW my hands aren't cropped, they're in my pocket  Yea the minute I saw the picture the biggest problem were those shadows :\
> 
> Yea, there was a bit of smudging. It's a little harder to notice on the original file since it's a little brighter.
> 
> Thanks again!



Jack with aperture/iso/etc to compensate =)


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## kundalini (Jan 26, 2012)

Redhotpengy said:


> Thanks for the advice! I will take this into consideration, the problem is that these lights don't go any brighter, but I will note that in the future if I ever do other shoot and have that equipment available.


Sorry for the confusion.  I meant too low as in elevation.  They need to be raised vertically.



Redhotpengy said:


> BTW my hands aren't cropped, they're in my pocket


I can see that your hands are in your pockets, but by having them at the bottom of the frame, they "feel" amputated.  I was suggesting to have another 6" or so at the bottom.


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm going to take the picture again tomorrow with the suggestions you provided. I'm going to try to include as many lights as I can! Do you think using flash would be good? Even with a very light exposure?


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## jaicatalano (Jan 26, 2012)

Careful of the hot lights. Use spider lights or if you don't have the money go with less intense bulbs. You look too sweaty. 

I do self portraits a lot and it's a process.  My suggestion is do one a day. Don't worry about CC because that is not what you need right now. You need experience training in taking your photo.


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## kundalini (Jan 26, 2012)

Do you have a flash?  I thought the setup shot was what you have on hand to work with.  Work it baby, work it.   

I'm a proponent of flash photography.  But in the same breath, I am a realist.  Work with what you have, but use your imagination for work-arounds.

I think your first attempt was good.  I think you can better yourself with more practice.

A couple of thoughts that may be of use for your self portraits.  1) Find something to put in place of where your position will be.... a broom leaning on a chair, a torchiere.... anything vertical that you can pre-focus of where your EYES will be in the frame.  That's the point to focus on.  2) Once focused.... turn AF off.  3) Use the self-timer or a remote shutter release.  4) use MUP (mirror lock up) or  5) if your camera has the Interval Timer option... use it.  6) have an adult beverage  7) have a laugh, relax, it's supposed to be fun.

Please share your next attempts.


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## Frequency (Jan 26, 2012)

I am never into studio photography so far... yet i find portraits using less no of lights and having beautiful shades, as we would see human beings in non-studio lighting conditions more expressive and attractive...too much of lighting can kill all good emotions in eyes and face; these are by no means advises  which i am not entitled to , but my tastes

Regards


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 27, 2012)

Alrighty, I just took them  That's exactly what I did. I have the flash on my camera, but I put it on a low exposure so a good amount of light hit my face without too many shadows. I used a coat hanger and put in it my place, so I could get the focus right. And this time I used live view mode so I could see my position instead of guessing. I'll be sure to upload when I'm done in Photoshop  And yes, I put a belt.


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks to everyone who commented!


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 27, 2012)

I agree with you on that one, I prefer using natural light when taking a portrait, but I also like the surreal look of lots of lighting. Either way, lighting is key  I'm sure you haven't been told that one before...


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 27, 2012)

Alright, here it is guys, it's much, much better than the first one! And one of the biggest pain in the a^$'s I ever had to Photoshop  I look pretty old for 16, don't I :$







Things I did differently,

-Made the halogen lights much higher so they are actually facing towards my face
-Put portable lights in different directions
-Rotated the tripod properly
-Used live-view
-Stood on a stool so that that camera could be aimed higher but still seeing my legs
-Shot at 31mm
-Shot with a flash with a exposure of 1 & 1/3 
-Put on a belt this time 
-Shot in my basement

What do you guys think?


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## kundalini (Jan 27, 2012)

Very cool and much improved.

Nitpicking here:
Turn your body ever so slightly to fully introduce your left shoulder.  This will also introduce your left hand to the audience.
The lighting on camera right is too hot because it is washing out your mask (face) line.
Instead of both hands in their pockets, perhaps only the forward.  Having both is stretching the fabric of your trousers making them look slightly awkward at the crotch.  Nobody wants their crotch looking awkward.
I would edit out that catch light in the far side right eye.  
Very nice detail of the suit.
Thanks for wearing a belt.   

Well done.  Thanks for posting.


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## Redhotpengy (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks for the advice! Really appreciate it.  I will definitely think about that next time  What do you mean by catch light?


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## kundalini (Jan 27, 2012)

Redhotpengy said:


> What do you mean by catch light?


The reflection of your light source(s) that shows in the eyes.  This is a sought after attribute in portraiture.  The one I mentioned is just a little over the top IMO.


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