Self-Portrait Fun!

Homework assignment: Create a self portrait using the most professional equipment you can get your hands on.

Check.

My school provides us with a "storefront" where we can check out some rather high end equipment that I could never get my hands on with my current allowance, no matter how much milk money I save. The camera, tripod, and microphone are mine, but the lights aren't. The check-out process was really easy here; just go online, select what you want to check and for what time, then pick up the equipment. I still have yet to return these lights, but I'm sure the process would be fairly simple.

Thanks to some experience with professional lighting from the couple times I went to Film Camp, I had a good idea as to how I wanted to set up my lights: a soft, diffused/spread out light towards my back (the light with the umbrella) and a stronger, harsher light facing my front. This creates a balance of light, something I seriously needed since I had a lot of natural light coming in through the windows to my left. My face is visible, the front of my body more lit than the back, but there is enough light from the back to avoid an unusually sharp contrast.

There is another self-portrait I took from another angle, keeping the lights in the same place.

Upon reflection, I feel like I should have diffused the standard light and brought it up closer. The light from the front seems harsh, and this is after I enhanced the photo on my computer. But, hey, live and learn.

Comments

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