Intensity
First self-portrait I did, couldn't believe how hard it is to get one right!
First self-portrait I did, couldn't believe how hard it is to get one right!
Read less
Read less
Mar, 2017Views
893
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
2020 Choice Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was actually taken in my bedroom, I had gotten my camera out to photograph some candles and ended up deciding to play around.Time
Unlike the vast majority of my photos that are taken outside with natural lighting during the early morning or day, this photograph was taken inside very, very late in the night. I was having some trouble sleeping and ended up getting up to take photographs of other objects before switching to self portraits.Lighting
I had originally intended to take this photo by the light of just a pair of candles but unfortunately I'm still learning and struggled to get the quality and brightness I wanted with my kit lens and beginner's knowledge so I switched to using the flash. Thankfully I still achieved the effect I was seeking, which was to really only light and focus on the section of my face that was closest to my eye with the edges fading to dark.Equipment
I was raised by a photographer and have a massive loyalty to Nikon cameras so this particular photo was shot with a Nikon D3300 with its kit lens (18-55mm). Much to my chagrin, I did not possess a tripod or a shutter button extension so I was actually taking my photos blindly (literally since I was using the flash right in face!) and then checking them afterwords. I probably took over 300 photos before narrowing down the look I wanted and finally capturing this one. So does arms that don't get tired count as equipment?Inspiration
As I mentioned previously, I had actually started out my evening by trying to get some neat pictures of a pair of candles (melted candles in shadows are a fun aesthetic for me because they're so unlike my typical style) but I was striking out and on a whim thought maybe I could use the candle-light for a different type of photo. When I was younger I modeled often for my mother in her own photography work and was no stranger to the knowledge of just how much connection eyes could make with a camera. I rarely do "self-portraits" and wasn't interested in focusing on the whole of my face, but more the lighting and shadows that could come across the bridge of my face and around my eyes.Editing
I don't have a whole load of software available to me and so I don't do a massive amount of post-processing in a vast majority of my photos. A great portion of the photographs in my gallery only saw a software program to be watermarked. But! This particular photo got a tad bit more than my others did because once I had the idea in my mind I was determined to run with it. Obviously I did a black and white filter, I also recalled a burn/dodge technique my mother used to use on eyes to add a bit of contrast and a couple of other slight things. I was not interested in doing any sort of smoothing over the pores and bumps in my skin or taking away those handful of stray hairs that were escaping my eyebrows because my intention was to have a very raw, powerful gravitas to the photo. Generally speaking, the photo itself still very strongly resembles the original.In my camera bag
Given that I am still very new to photography and it's currently a hobby, not a profession, I don't have as much equipment as I'd like to have. My camera bag is just enough for my camera, it's battery charger and connection cables, and a couple other memory cards. I also have a bag for my new tripod, but I don't have any sort of extra flashes, lenses, or other neat things I'd love to eventually possess.Feedback
I'd like to think that a photographer isn't just the fancy equipment they possess, so my advice is to not think you cannot do something because you do not have the pieces others might use. I would have killed for a tripod and a shutter button extension cable so I wasn't using my nice, slightly heavy camera like I was taking a selfie with my iPhone but it didn't stop me from taking my shot and loving it. Perseverance rewards the photographer with no gadgets that works hard more the photographer that has all the gadgets and never tries for it.
