Self-Portrait Tips?

[Guest]

 Have any of you taken a self-portrait? If so, what was your process in doing so (what gear, ideas, or any other interesting factors co contributed towards your picture?)

[ALwin]

9 minutes ago, AtchisonWC said:

 Have any of you taken a self-portrait? If so, what was your process in doing so (what gear, ideas, or any other interesting factors co contributed towards your picture?)

Depends on the quality you want, and how you want to compose the photo.  I absolutely hate selfies where I am holding a phone at arms length or standing in the bathroom and using the mirror.

 

If I ever decide to take a self portrait (I prefer being the person behind the camera instead of being in front of it), which is a very big IF, I will dress up nicely, set up the camera on a tripod, set up the lens, camera, lights, set up the composition, and either use a timer or a wireless trigger, get into position and take the photo.  Oh and when I say dress up, I mean in a suit, tie, vest, etc.

[Samfisher]

Choose what lens you want to use.  Different focal lengths alter the structure of your face quite drastically.

[Stardar1]

3 minutes ago, AtchisonWC said:

 Have any of you taken a self-portrait? If so, what was your process in doing so (what gear, ideas, or any other interesting factors co contributed towards your picture?)

1. Indirect lighting (reflectors)

2. TRIPOD, OH PLEASE TRIPOD

3. Find a setting you like, or that reflects some aspect of you, but at the same time make sure lighting is controllable. 

4. Don't use a phone camera. 

[Luc401]

I believe a 50mm prime lens is recommended for this task.

[ALwin]

1 minute ago, Luc401 said:

I believe a 50mm prime lens is recommended for this task.

Any lens is usable, as long as you know what you are doing and understand what kind of results you can get.

[ALwin]

10 minutes ago, Stardar1 said:

1. Indirect lighting (reflectors)

Instead of saying this, it is better to say "set up the lighting so that the light that falls on the face/body is the way you want your portrait to be captured".

 

Both direct and indirect light can be used for portraiture.  It's about shaping and controlling those lights.  Speedlights, strobes, reflectors, diffusers, bounce cards, snoots, beauty dishes, grids, umbrellas, softboxes, etc. are all tools that provide and shape the light.

 

You also don't want to lose the shadows, because shadows add depth to a portrait.

 

Here's a video that shows how direction of light and color can alter the appearance of a face.

 

 

[TipRex]

I would recommend using at least a 50mm lense depending on your camera... But if you use a wide angle lens (<50) The photo will get distorted.

Also focus on the eye closest to the camera and maybe open the aperture a bit for some nice bokeh(=blurry background stuff that looks good). Good luck

[Stardar1]

46 minutes ago, ALwin said:

Instead of saying this, it is better to say "set up the lighting so that the light that falls on the face/body is the way you want your portrait to be captured".

 

Both direct and indirect light can be used for portraiture.  It's about shaping and controlling those lights.  Speedlights, strobes, reflectors, diffusers, bounce cards, snoots, beauty dishes, grids, umbrellas, softboxes, etc. are all tools that provide and shape the light.

 

You also don't want to lose the shadows, because shadows add depth to a portrait.

 

Here's a video that shows how direction of light and color can alter the appearance of a face.

 

 

but one should never have a light shining directly on the face, to prevent squinting at the very least. 

 

I am recommending indirect lighting not exclusively, but additionally. 

[ALwin]

7 hours ago, Stardar1 said:

but one should never have a light shining directly on the face, to prevent squinting at the very least. 

 

I am recommending indirect lighting not exclusively, but additionally. 

A bit of a "yes" and a "no" here.  Yes that very bright direct light can be annoying to the subject, and very bright direct light can be harsh.  However if the photographer wants a certain style or look in the photo, it might be unavoidable.

 

But when I say direct light, I am not talking about taking a very bright light source and point it directly into the subject's eyes from 6 inches away.  I am talking about shining light directly on the subject instead of having the light diffused or bounced off something.

[ShadowCaptain]

11 hours ago, Luc401 said:

I believe a 50mm prime lens is recommended for this task.

Depends on the desired effect, can take wide angle portraits etc

I prefer portraits at like 200mm so that I can compress the background

 

There is no recommended or correct lens, it depends on the desired look