Reply #3 - June 26, 2007, 04:54:31 PM
Hello Travis,
So thats what you look like! No cowboy hats i am disappointed LOL
Ok lets look at the good points I instantly see in this photo, your positioning of yourself is good you are leaning into the camera and have a nice solid diagional running across your back, from shoulder to shoulder so well done. The amount of people in a self-portrait who end up sitting like they just found the missing tent pole well you can imagine.
No onto the two areas that I dont like, firstly the tie, you have a good winsor knot in it so looks presentable but whast going on with the white space above it. If you have a tie on in a photo always makesure it is right up to the top of the shirt, no gap, no spaces, no excuses. A tie is a symbol of power and authority, it comes from the gentry wearing it to distingush themselves from the lowly peasents who had neck scarfs. That tie must be tight in and showing, as soon as it starts to drop it then portrays the wearer as slightly undone, the first thing I do after a wedding is undo the tie a little to breath, that to me is being finished with the presentaton of myself as a package. This by the way is a very british thing, we stand on pomp and cermony, it is our bread and butter, Tea and jam, Jelly and Eels see that shocked you! So in conclusion just check it is all the way up, a little trick is to put a triangle of card in the front pocket of the winsor knot and pin the back, that way its going to stay solid for ages.
Second point and more important is the lighting. Travis your description of the lighting was almost as ong as my triad on the tie. What lighting do we have outside, what is our natural light? Yep that big ball of burning gas that my optican keeps showing me and saying well if u can see that far you dont need glasses LOL. Here is a Stew Mantra for you Lighting LIS, nope i dont want to make out with you it stands for Keep It Simple. You have looked at this porject and gone this is to show me at my best, its to show everything I know in photography as it is me. The lights come out and bounce around here there and everywhere but is it adding to your photograph.
Stewarts guide to lighting
1. Set up your main light, get it just right. now look at your subject
2. If the lighting looks good, leave it you dont need anything else. You cant improve perfection but you can ruin it
3. If it doesnt look right and your fill light
4. move that fill light around get it perfect then
5. have a look at your subject if that fill has made the subject look worse take it away dont think oh no I have spent this long setting up i must use it forget it and go with what you know best photographing a subject.
Thats my take on lighting I see so many diagrams that people say this is how itook it and I think wow how many power stations do you own! You have a good photo that has been over cooked by thinking too much about what you want to show a great effort just remember KIS
Cheers and Beers
Stew
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