IMG_9329 (2)
Sep, 2018Views
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Sony Alpha A7 Mirrorless Camera
Contest Finalist in The Selfie Photo Contest
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Virtuoso
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my first attempt at making a home studio while I was living in Seoul, South Korea. The apartments there are quite small and I was still learning about studios at the time. I set up some poster board behind me and that was basically it!Time
After coming home from work in early February, I just decided to sit down and take the photo. My hours were quite late so it was around 10pm, but my husband is in the military and had actually left a couple days before on a five-month trip so I was trying to find something to distract myself. I was so surprised because I find self-portraits to be quite difficult, it was especially difficult then because I had just started taking self-portraits, but I think I was able to take this in only about 10 minutes!Lighting
The lighting was honestly nothing special. I just set it up in front of me.Equipment
This was shot on my Canon Rebel T2i using a Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I used an incredibly cheap tripod I bought from an underground subway store in Seoul and my Fomex e400 studio light.Inspiration
I had actually had the idea for this photo for some time before I actually took it. A friend that knew I loved photography had sent me one of those thermoses that look like zoom lenses and the idea just popped in my head. I had zero intention of being in the photo myself. I was still really nervous in front of the camera. I think photographers are always hidden behind cameras. The people being photographed can never really see the photographer, they just hear us and see the camera. Those photos where someone is taking a photo of you taking a photo of them are so cool, but you can't ever actually see the photographer's face. I think eyes are a beautiful way to show emotion and give feeling so I tried bringing both of those things together. My goal was to just sort of show the photographer taking the image, without actually blocking my face.Editing
I had a pretty different editing style then compared to now, but there are a couple things I don't think I will ever change. I love a cool-toned photo. Warmer tones have a time and place, but I just love the blues and purples. And those vignettes. I think I've been adding vignettes since the moment I started editing photos. I'll mess with contrast and saturation differently for different photos, but I will almost always have a vignette and a cooler cast.In my camera bag
Funny enough, I don't have a camera bag at all actually. Any recommendations? I used my Canon Rebel T2i and the kit lens together for so long that I just carried it around. I've only been purchasing new lenses and lights for about 2 years now and I just never got around to getting a bag. I usually keep my 50mm f/1.8 on my camera and carry around the 18-55mm in my purse along with my Canon speedlite 430EXii. I should probably start looking for a camera bag.Feedback
I find it really hard to give advice on taking a self-portrait. It's like teaching someone how to take a personality test. There's really no way to teach that! I think the technicals of a self-portrait shouldn't be difficult, but the composition is where it's more interesting. I think eyes tell the best story so when you're photographing, I would focus on at least one eye, if not both eyes and to make sure the story matches you. What I mean by that is to just be YOU. My self-portraits tend to be more serious, but if you want to be laughing, go for it! Self-portraits can be as simple (like mine) or as complicated as you want them to be. The best thing is that it's about you so you can really do whatever you want!
