madeline @granagringa asked in her comments yesterday on my self portrait: how do you get such good focus & catchlight in your eyes when doing a self-portrait? let me see if i can explain this as sensibly as i can.
i have a broken tripod that i use as my stand-in. using my camera's live view function, i focus on the top of the tripod where my face would be when i sit on that chair. (no, i'm not that tall, i used the camera for a sunrise shot this morning and just forgot to set it to proper height before i took this photo.)
the only light i have on me is the soft box to my left, about 3 yards away from me (that's about 9 feet, methinks). that small lamp is behind the chair and directed on to the backdrop.
as i focus, i play with the settings so i can see how much light i need to get the result i want. i do that by varying the speed shutter from 1/10 to 0.5 and the f stop. i set the camera's self-timer to the 10-second setting. i have a remote control so i don't have to keep running back and forth; i could lose the focus that way.
before i sit on the chair ready to take my shot, i turn the camera's LCD monitor towards the set up so that i could see my face and make sure that my eyes are within that square focusing thingie (hahaha!).
for the catch light, i have a reflector way behind the camera to the left, which was a long sheet of foil that is reflecting the light from the dining side of the room which is obscured by a bookshelf from where i have the set up. in yesterday's post, the catchlight in my left eye though came from the soft box to my left.
itiofd, i do have a regulation black backdrop which i had just washed so it was all wrinkled and kali @kali66 gets crazy seeing wrinkled backgrounds. :-P
Thank you so much! This is something I've been giving more thought to doing to practice learning lighting and portrait photography. I won't be afraid of my subject if it's ME! LOL!
This is fabulous. Ty ty ty...I was definitely working in the right direction...one mire question...how do you turn yhe camera when you are already seated? Isn't it of reach? And you really are kind to do this...want to come visit Oregon?
@granagringa - sorry, i wasn't quite clear. before i sit myself to take the shot, i turn the monitor towards me. my camera, a canon 60D has a flip out LCD monitor. thanks for the invite, i might take you up on that someday. :-D
very interesting indeed. lighting and set ups are both simpler and more complicated than I had realized before I started trying to learn how to do them.
@francoise - sunday's self portrait was a tad special so i had to use the soft box. otherwise, i just rely on whatever lighting is on in the evening or just natural light during the day. i just adjust camera settings and then i pray. :-D
Well explained, although still clear as mud. I do see to achieve good selfies, I need a backdrop, a remote control and a way to see the LCD monitor. Oh and a light and reflector. Hmmm. I don't think I can do this yet. 😀
what is "itiofd"??
(i use photoshop to remove backdrop wrinkles...)