Self-portrait

[Malinka]

This is a self-portrait that I took for week 2 of project 52. It was taken in the room with the last sun rays of the day coming through the window behind me. It's quite simple, but I like it. However, I find a bit of challenge with focusing and DOF. Any tips or suggestions on how to achieve sharp focus with shallow DOF in self-portaits is much appreciated. Right now it's a lot of trial and error.

Also, any feedback on lighting, shadows and composition would be great as well.

Exif data:

Canon 450D
50mm f1.8II
AV
1/320
ISO 200
F3.5
No flash

Thank you!

[zona5101]

other than trial and error you'd need to have a stand in object to focus on... prefocus on said object , use a string tied to your tripod to measure the precise distance...place yourself in the frame, more your eye to the precise distance as measured by the string...trip shutter.

this is a real nice self-portrait. first thing i noticed was the color balance was too warm other than that I like it, i don't even have an issue with the focus, it looks plenty sharp at this size/resolution.

[ccting]

very nice lighting without flashes???

[Malinka]

Originally Posted by zona5101

other than trial and error you'd need to have a stand in object to focus on... prefocus on said object , use a string tied to your tripod to measure the precise distance...place yourself in the frame, more your eye to the precise distance as measured by the string...trip shutter.

this is a real nice self-portrait. first thing i noticed was the color balance was too warm other than that I like it, i don't even have an issue with the focus, it looks plenty sharp at this size/resolution.

Thank you for the tip zona5101! I will try to use the string trick this weekend and see how it goes. It's interesting that you've mentioned the colour balance. Not too long ago I've calibrated the monitor but chose a different white point. After that I thought the colours looked a bit warm, but then my eyes got used to it. This could affect my post-processing, but of course it could be a matter of personal taste. Since I'll be recalibrating my screen soon, I'm wondering if your monitor is calibrated and what's the white point set at?

[Malinka]

Originally Posted by ccting

very nice lighting without flashes???

Thank you ccting. No flash was used in this photo.

[danbaileyphoto]

Malinka, that's really nice. Great light!! A good reminder to us all that portraits don't always need flash to get great light, it's everywhere, but you just need to look for it. I love the combination of warm and slightly soft.

Focus seems ok to me, although my guess is that you were trying to get your front eye in focus. There's no easy solution, other than autofocus and shooting enough frames so that you nail it. I think it works here, nice job!!

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by Malinka

. Since I'll be recalibrating my screen soon, I'm wondering if your monitor is calibrated and what's the white point set at?

both my monitors at home are calibrated, i'd have to look uop the white point but I want to say 2200 pops in my head but that could be some other number I'm thinking of...
any way even without a calibration number you can see the whites of the eye aren't white.

[RLucas]

This is really really nice. The lighting couldn't have been any better IMO. The only thing that I would like even more is if you had used a reflector beside you camera left. This may have given just enough rim to separate you from the background even more. It's not a bad thing for me, just an observation. I also like the fact that you are playing with harder light than most of the photos of women I see. I'm really having a hard time critiquing this. It's quite good!

[Malinka]

Originally Posted by danbaileyphoto

Malinka, that's really nice. Great light!!
Focus seems ok to me, although my guess is that you were trying to get your front eye in focus. There's no easy solution, other than autofocus and shooting enough frames so that you nail it. I think it works here, nice job!!

Thanks Daniel! I'm in the process of learning light, so I try to experiment with it. There are so many beautiful images that are captured using available light and they are inspiration to me. Your guess was right, I wanted the focus to fall more on the front (right) eye. Since you've mentioned the autofocus, I've actually selected my focus point, but I probably moved, so the focus shifted. Along with the string mentioned by zona and the autofocus, I'll see what I come up with.

[Malinka]

Originally Posted by zona5101

2200 pops in my head but that could be some other number I'm thinking of...
any way even without a calibration number you can see the whites of the eye aren't white.

Zona, 2200 isn't it a bit too warm? If you wouldn't mind looking up what the wp set at when you have a chance, I'll much appreciate it. I was a bit conscious about the whites of the eye. I didn't want to make them too white as I thought that it might not be suitable for the scene, but next time I might experiment a bit more in the post processing.