| From Photoworkshop.com Double Exposure Challenge  CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UPThe photographers who met our latest Double Exposure Challenge have done a wonderful job of portraying themselves. Congratulations to our 1st place winner, Robert Cattan, who has won a MountainSmith “Odyssey” backpack for his image, “Self 5”; to our 2nd place winner, Bob Garas who won a Hoodman HoodLoupe Pro for his image entitled “The Fiddler”; and to our 3rd place winner, Lizz Rosenbaum, who has won a copy of The Nikon D200 Dbook by Helmut Kraus, Rudolf Krahn, and Rainer Dorau. We also congratulate the runners-up, whose images appear in the accompanying gallery. The one person that most photographers tend to photograph least often is himself or herself. If you love shooting portraits and capturing the inner being of your subject, consider challenging yourself by doing a self-portrait. Besides being an artistic challenge, it’s a wonderful way to practice portraiture. You’ll always have a willing subject this way, and if the results aren’t to your liking, you have only yourself to please. Another advantage to photographing yourself is when you want to use a test subject for experimenting with lighting and other creative techniques. And perhaps the most important reason for shooting a self-portrait is for the self-expression that you can achieve.
The easiest way to shoot a self-portrait, of course, is to photograph your reflection in the mirror or another shiny object. The only problem is that the camera will probably also appear in the scene, and you may not be able to frame the image accurately because you’ll have to take the camera away from your eye to avoid hiding your face in the image. You can use the camera as a prop and allow it to be part of the composition, holding it away from your face. It is possible, however, to get the camera close enough to the edge of the frame so that you can crop it out later on. You might also try putting the camera on a tripod and shooting your reflection in an angled mirror. This way, you may avoid getting the camera in the picture altogether. When shooting into a mirror, make sure the camera focuses on your mirrored reflection—not the mirror frame or any other object. Another problem with photographing your reflection is that the image will be reversed, but you can flop the image in Photoshop or another image-editing program. If you’re shooting film, the negative or transparency can also be flopped.
Other options include taking the picture with a cable release that has a long cord, a wireless remote-control device, or setting your camera on a tripod and using the camera’s self-timer. If you’re using the self-timer, frame the area where you’ll be positioned after setting up your camera. And since the timer only gives you a limited amount of time to scramble into the picture, it will help if you figure out where you want to be ahead of time and mark it with tape or a chalk mark. It will also aid in visualizing the image if you have a friend act as a stand-in while you set up your camera gear. You’ll need a wireless remote triggering device, cable release, self-timer, or ask another person to click the shutter after you step into the scene. Decide ahead of time how you want to portray yourself in your self-portrait. You can make a personal statement about yourself with the props or memorabilia that you surround yourself with in the image. If you want to make a very personal statement about yourself and who you are, think about how you might do this—consider the clothing, pose, body language, and facial expression you want use to reveal the real you. Do you want to portray yourself as an artist, as an accomplished musician, as a business professional? To portray yourself in your environment, you can photograph yourself seated in a favorite chair, looking out the window (you can also utilize natural window light this way) or standing in the doorway to your home. You can even include other people—like your family—in your self-portrait.
For an even more interpretive portrait, you may want to photograph your reflection in a window or your shadow on a wall or on the sidewalk. You can aim your camera down your body from eye level, and perhaps only include body parts like your legs or feet. Take our next Double Exposure Challenge! Look for details on “From Dusk to Dawn” in this issue. CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF IMAGES BY THE RUNNERS-UP© Copyright 2002 by Photoworkshop.com |
