Turbulent balance
Turbulent balance
Turbulent balance
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Dec, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in an abandoned house I found near where I live. I went exploring with a friend and ended up snapping this self-portrait as we were leaving.Time
This was taken in the evening, when the sun was starting to set. It worked out because I ended up with a terrific backlight!Lighting
I thought the lighting added to the overall ethereal effect.Equipment
I used my Nikon D3000 with a 50mm 1.8 lens. I also used my Vanguard tripod and a self timer.Inspiration
At the time I took this photo I was working on completing a self-portrait project, which involved taking a self-portrait every day. I had already taken my photo for the day, but when I saw this window and the light coming through I wanted to use it as well. I wanted to represent balance and chaos, because I was dealing with a lot of stress at the time and was having a hard time juggling it all.Editing
I had a really difficult time balancing on the windowsill, so I took one photo of each of my legs with the toes pointed and merged them in Photoshop using layer masks. Then I drew the circles on paper with a marker, and scanned the sheet of paper so I could superimpose it over my hands. I played with curves and levels to get the effect I was looking for, then converted to black and white.In my camera bag
I don't have a lot of equipment, so generally all I use is my Nikon D610 (I have upgraded my camera body since taking this photo), my 50mm 1.8, and my Vanguard tripod.Feedback
Don't be afraid to experiment with things you haven't tried before, and be creative if something isn't working! In this shot, I didn't like the way my feet were positioned originally and I couldn't balance on my toes, so I ended up pointing one foot at a time and editing the two shots together. I wasn't sure what I wanted to draw in my hands, so I moved onto editing other photos for a while until I was inspired to try doing something abstract. I tried several different designs before I ended up with one that I liked. The key to surreal self-portraits is being patient and waiting for inspiration!
