Yenrue
Follow"If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?" - Owl City - The Saltwater Room
One of my favorite self portraits. I was feeling especial...
Read more
"If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?" - Owl City - The Saltwater Room
One of my favorite self portraits. I was feeling especially nostalgic and wanted to create a photo capturing me in the simplest form and my love for nature.
Read less
One of my favorite self portraits. I was feeling especially nostalgic and wanted to create a photo capturing me in the simplest form and my love for nature.
Read less
Views
2518
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Featured
Contest Finalist in Double Exposure Photo Contest by Pocket Tripod
Achievement in Originality
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo is a combination of two photos. The portrait was a self portrait that I took against a wall in my newly finished basement right by a window - one of my favorite spots in my house. I've had many photoshoots right at that corner of my basement and this was no different! The forest photo was taken while I was out on a photoshoot at a local park a week or so prior. Something about the dark trees contrasting with the water and sunlight on the other side of the trees made that particular image pop when it came to deciding which image I wanted to layer.Time
The self portrait was taken in the evening right around sunset at golden hour. With the way that particular corner of the basement was structured, the lighting during majority of the day as well as golden hour just bounces off the walls so perfectly. I have had photoshoots during sunrise and sunset but I am a sucker for that golden, warm light at sunset. So I am not surprised I chose to take my self portrait at golden hour. The forest photo was taken on a prior day but a little bit earlier than golden hour - my initial intention for that photo was to capture the contrast of the trees against the background.Lighting
I used all natural lighting for the photo. I wanted to stick to a soft natural look to add to the dreamy/moodiness of the photo.Equipment
This was shot with my Canon Rebel t2i with a Canon 28mm f/1.8 lens on a tripod. The photo was processed entirely in Photoshop because at the time I did not have Lightroom nor did I know how to use Lightroom.Inspiration
A lot of factors inspired me to take this photo. I had been listening to Owl City's "The Saltwater Room" and it was the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn - I wanted to capture the feeling of the song and the season in the photo. That year (2013) I was working on a 365 day photo project and that week I started to toy with the idea of working on some self portraits. I prefer being the photographer as opposed to being photographed and so I wanted to see if I could create a self portrait that would help me get more comfortable in front of the camera. That was the reason behind choosing to make the photo a double exposure, to give myself something to hide behind. All of the elements added a little mystery to the image and helped me capture that dreamy/moody look that I was going for. Little did I know this would end up being one of my favorite photos of myself!Editing
It took about 2 hours of post-processing to get to the finished product. Each individual photo did not require too much post processing but blending them together took a good chunk of time. I started with the self portrait (I had to look through about 50 photos to pick the one I chose for this) and did some skin touch ups and followed that with some dodging and burning to get the highlights and shadows just right. The next step was to find the right landscape photo to layer on top of it. The landscape photo was not adjusted too much, the contrast and the vibrancy was boosted just a touch. After layering the photos, I played with the transparency of the landscape photo and then went in with a brush to increase/decrease the transparency in certain areas. The very last step was to change the photo from full color to a warm monochrome look. I did not want the colors of the landscape and the colors of the portrait to distract from the image.In my camera bag
Currently, in my camera bag I carry around my Canon 5d Mark IV, Sigma 35mm Art lens, the nifty fifty (Canon 50mm 1.8), the Pluto Trigger, 3 extra camera batteries, a reflector, and some objects to add some creative light flares to my images (prism, old cd, piece of foil).Feedback
Consider the colors in the image. For example, I chose to go with a monochromatic color scheme because I felt all the colors that were present in the original images would be too "noisy" and distracting to the photo. Experiment with posing! I took about 50 different shots before I was satisfied with the one I chose for this photo. When I stitch/blend photos together, I typically wait until the end (after I have finished aligning and small touch ups) to color edit or to add grain. I feel that waiting until the end to color edit helps the photo look more cohesive and hides the imperfections even better. Really take the time to figure out the lighting. For me, I work mainly with natural light and I typically have a reflector with me to help me bounce light where I need it. If you don't have adequate natural light you could also use lamps you may have lying around the house. My favorite piece of advice is really to just get out there and get creative - try new things, experiment! That's how you learn and gain experience and who knows, maybe you'll surprise yourself and create something great!