Business Cards

I've mentioned before that I'm using this photo on my business cards, but now I've decided it's better in black and white. Any thoughts?

Me as Model

I haven't done a self portrait in a while, so I did this one as a nod to my newest guilty pleasure: America's Next Top Model. This is as close as I get!

Why Self Portraits?

I have been getting a lot of questions about why so many of my pictures on this site are self portraits. I think my photographic tendencies are best decribed with someone else's words. Check out what Sarah says at Ramblings of an Ever-Hungry Mind.

Enclosed in My House

For the past few months I have been working from home, and I am starting to get very sick of it. It's very lonely, and I can't leave the house to socialize whenever I feel like it because I have work that I need to do. I feel this picture captures the emotions I have felt lately. I like how the light from the window suggests the outside world, and I feel like my expression is very genuine.

Business Photos

I used to take business photos for people at the last studio I worked at. Now, anytime I see a business photo displayed somewhere (mortgage ad, real estate billboard, etc.) I critique it. Most of them are down right hideous. I saw a photo for a real estate agent where she's looking off to the side and looks like she just opened her mouth to say something. It looks very unprofessional and quite frankly it makes her look rather dodgy.

The other day I had two people ask me to take pictures for them in the same day. This was a record for me, and I took it as a sign. I felt very unprofessional as I scribbled my contact info on a small piece of paper from my planner that had "Shopping List" typed on it. I knew it was time. Time to get some business cards.

I want my business photo to be different from traditional ones, but I do want it to have certain characteristics that good business pictures have. I want it to look professional, but creative. I also want to look happy and friendly, not melodramatic. I like this photo best out of the ones I have taken so far, but I may crop it in a little closer so my face doesn't get lost when it's on a teeny tiny business card.

I'd love to hear what you all have to say about this picture? Do you think it conveys the characteristics I mentioned earlier? Would you buy photos from someone with this picture on their business card?

Teacher

My mom is a teacher. I never want to be a teacher. I'd be hideously impateint with the kids, I'd have to get up at the crack of dawn, and I'd work zillions of hours for way too little money. The wierd thing is, I think I look like a teacher in this picture. Or how about librarian? I could live with that.

Being Silly

I am getting so much crap for this picture on myspace, but I think it's funny. I was tired of trying to make myself look hot in pictures.

Update:
My roomate said that guys are going to think this picture is hot. I think she know some really wierd guys.

Lady in the Water

Eyeballs

Tip #12 Aphrodite Again

Try taking a picture of yourself with out your face in it. This can be an effective way to ease yourself into the self portrait process if you are like most other people and are overly critical of pitures of yourself.

******

If you're stuck for ideas, try one of the following ideas:

1. Your favorite body part.

2. Something easy to photograph, like your toes or hands.

3. Accentuate something you wear all the time, like a ring, or something permentant on your body like a freckle or tattoo.

Tip#11 Props

Props

are

a

fun

way

to

spice

up

your

pictures.

Tip#10 Get a Timer!

Really, if you don't have a timer on your camera, get one that does. It opens up a million possibilities for self portrait.

Tip #9 Give it a Go

I like the darkness of this picture. I also like the sand on my arm, and the beautiful mauve color glowing behind my hair. The closest thing to a tip I have for this picture is to try something different. This pose felt new to me (I tend to go for the sex pot image more than the melodrama image), so I gave it a go.

Tip #8 Turn Off Your Flash

I think this picture should be called "The Birth of Aphrodite." My camera was focused on the sun so it thought it didn't need to use the flash--and thank goodness! A flash would have totally washed out this picture and made it uninteresting. This way it has a eerie, orangey, dramatic look.

Tip #7 Self Timer

Learn how to use your camera's timer. If your camera doesn't have one, feel fry to have yourself a good cry. I positioned my camera on a rock, plotted out a point on the rock it was pointing to that I knew would be in the frame, and hit the shutter button. Ten seconds later I was plastered against the rock and the shutter opened and closed. The picture isn't in focus because I didn't focus it properly before I jumped into the frame, but I like the the slight blur in the picture. It goes with the sense of movement of the picture.

Tip #6 Spin!

This tip is really quite simple, but I found it to be fun and productive. I love the sense of motion it adds to the picture. Just spin in circles while you hold your camera out and take a picture. Don't stop spinning until after your camer takes the picture (in other words don't spin, then stop and take the picture. That tip should be self evident, but you never know!) I reccomend trying a couple shots per spin session. These were my favorite pictures using the spin technique.

Tip #5 Location

Shake things up, get outta your living room, and hit the road. I drove out to the beach on a whim the other day, and I encountered a magical photo shoot when I did it. It was like I was a little dancing leprechaun cartoon that finally got to eat my caulderon full of marshmellowy cereal. The lighting was perfect, and my battery lasted until dark. This is one of my favorite shots for lighting (and other) reasons. Please ignore the fact that my underwear is hanging out.

Tip# 4 Photoshop Continued

Try a color overlay. They don't really maintain the integrity of the shot (aka, there is nothing natural looking about them!), but they are really fun. This one makes me look like Elfie, the modern Wicked Witch of the West.

Defy Gravity!

Tip #3 Photoshop

Welcome to the world of the air-brushed. Let's face it, not a lot of people like pictures of themselves. I see it all the time at the studio I work at. I print beautiful pictures of a bride, and all she can see is that she's squeezing her arm in and it looks fat. Whatever, I think. But I do it too! I take a close up self portrait (the only kind really, when you're holding the camera yourself) and all I see is a big nose, a few blemishes, and a little bit of a double chin. The good news is that I can still salvage a shot that I otherwise love with a little help from my new friend, Adobe Photoshop. I use the dodge tool and the lens blur if I want to hide blemishes, but still keep the shot looking as natural as possible. If yiou want to see an example of those techniques, check out the photo I used in Tip #2.

I used the Glass option under Distort for the picture of me in the hat. I like how you can still tell what I look like, but imperfections are hidden. I think this option really adds something to the picture too. My interpretation of this picture is that someone is looking at me through a beer bottle. It feels very "Bar" and goes with my hat and serious expression.

I used the Watercolor option under Artistic for the picture with my hands in it. This option goes with the whimsical and soft expression I have in the picture.

Both options give a nice overall forgiving mask while maintaining integrity of the shot. I'm sure there are other options that will accomplish the same task, I just haven't found them yet.

Tip #2 Lying Down

Try lying down on your back and extending your arms above to take your self portrait. Try looking at the camera straight on, and try tilting your chin down a little bit too. I am tilting my head down a bit in this one; I took the picture from both angles, but I liked this one best.