[LIGirl]

Recently, I seem to be quite drawn to self portraits. It's supposed to be absolutely freezing this weekend (no going outside to take pics!), so I thought I would venture into this new-to-me subject!

I'm hoping for any advise about websites or books I could use to get started...any ideas?

Thanks!

[alohadave]

If you don't have a remote trigger, you will be using the timer a lot.

1. Setup tripod
2. Take your camera and sit/stand where you will be posing. Focus on the tripod.
3. Turn off auto-focus.
4. Put the camera on the tripod.
5. Frame so you have enough room to move around a bit.
6. Turn off auto-focus.
7. Have fun.

[Coeurdechene]

First it's gonna be setting the right focus..since portraits tend to look better with the lens wide open, or at least fairly open. once that is set, try different light setups, if you aint got equipment use natural light from windows, try different hours..you can have fun with 3 or 4 lamps too, but you gotta find something to diffuse light or you'll have only hard light portraits, something like plastic translucid pvc botlles (the big square ones) works out pretty fine.
you can try zenital light (from above), or just one sided..or placing a light behind you..that will separate you from the background, or you can create halos...
Have fun

[Ira]

Girl, I want them to make self- portraits the next monthly contest here.

Not only will everyone be able to see how old and ugly I am, but there are many creative ways to do this, including mirrors, hand-holding at arm's length, and self-timer on a tripod.

We're always shooting other people and things, so how cool would it be to learn from other members on how they do a self-portrait?

[Ash]

No websites or advice from me - Self-portrature would repulse people in my case...
But I do know a very capable self-portrait photographer - she's even a member here:

View Profile: K McCall - PentaxForums.com
Keitha McCall Wins Pentax Travel Photo Contest StudioLighting.net
Flickr: aravis121
A Scenic World Self-Portraits
S · E · L · F : The Abridged Version | By Keitha McCall | Category: Fine Art Photography | Blurb

[RioRico]

Some of my self-abuse (er, I mean -portrait) techniques:

* Hold the camera at arm's length and fire away from various angles, including straight down.
* As above, but turn while holding the camera and firing a sequence. Combine shots into a GIF animation of my context.
* Set camera on tripod, enable Catch-In-Focus and Continuous Drive, and approach the hotspot from various directions.
* Shoot into a mirror. Fortunately, the camera always obscures my face. Good thing for y'all!
* Set P&S on tripod in video mode, aiming at me as I jump around. Extract video frames, delete all those with my feet down; build animation of me floating in air.
* Set P&S in video mode and toss (spinning) into air. Catch it. Extract video frames, delete all those without me; build matrix of me from many airborne angles.
* Lots and lots of post-processing.

[SpecialK]

Girl, I want them to make self- portraits the next monthly contest here.

Not only will everyone be able to see how old and ugly I am, but there are many creative ways to do this, including mirrors, hand-holding at arm's length, and self-timer on a tripod.

We're always shooting other people and things, so how cool would it be to learn from other members on how they do a self-portrait?

There is a self-portrait thread going.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/67526...-portrait.html

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Last edited by SpecialK; 01-21-2011 at 03:52 PM.

[Kerrowdown]

Here's a fun thing to do, self portrait in a mirror, but use a shift lens so you, camera and tripod don't appear in the mirror.

Gets folk thinking......................................................................

How did he do that.

[RioRico]

Here's a fun thing to do, self portrait in a mirror, but use a shift lens so you, camera and tripod don't appear in the mirror.

Oh yes, the old self-portrait-without-the-self trick. The selfless portrait. That's even better than shooting your shadow, which reveals your existence. The selfless portrait. That's pretty PoMo, eh? The portrait, deconstructed. Why, I can shoot portraits of ANYONE or ANYTHING and they needn't even be located within 100km of the lens! They needn't even exist! Portrait of the artist as a young void, that sort of thing. I love it!

And never any bother with model releases, copyright infringement, none of that. Here is a picture of Mickey Mouse's mirror, but he's just out of the frame. So come on and sue me for THAT, DisneyScum! And here's a fornication shot of Hannah Montana and Vlad Putin, but they're just out of the frame. No legal penalties! But I digress...

ObSelfPortraiture: Other selfless portraits: Mask or cut yourself out of the images. Here's a shot of me in my office or bathtub or kitchen, but I'm edited out. I could even take that mask and apply it anywhere. Here's a picture of me NOT in the Oval Office, NOT skydiving into the Sydney Opera House, NOT orbiting Uranus, NOT crashing a Hells Angels party. Yeah, that's the safest form of self-portraiture.