Saturday, May 24, 2008

Study in Self-portaiture

This is one of about 40 shots I did of myself this morning. The lighting setup was simple. Flash though an umbrella set about 45 degrees to the right of my face. (Or that was the goal anyways). There was also a bit of ambient light from the basement window.
Processing was also simple.
In Capture One Pro:

  • Auto correct exposure
  • Auto white balance
  • Default sharpening (100)
  • Export to TIFF

In PSP XI

  • Channel mixer adjustment layer to convert to B&W (60,30,10)
  • ResizeUSM (1.00, 100, 10)
  • Export to JPG

    I like the composition. Its hard to actually compose when you are trying to get seated in 10 seconds after hitting the shutter release.

    I really like the catchlights in the eyes. One of the articles I've read recommended the 45 degree angle for the lights to help create the catchlights and I am glad I tried it out. Too bad I hadn't shaved yet. Oh well. A portrait is supposed to capture the essence of the person. I typically don't shave often enough so this is an honest portrayal anyways.

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