Advice on Self-portraits.
Thanks for the offer Dave. I'm always open to advice. Currently I'm using my iPhone, but someplace I've an Olympus OM-1 that I'd have to dust off. But most of my older photos were taken with the Olympus. I haven't made the jump to a digital 35 mm yet because of the cost. So, that's me in a nut shell.
Dave
Firstly, if you want to take serious portraits, 'selfies' or friends, you will need a camera (a camera phone is okay-ish, but has its limitations). There are lots of good second-hand cameras around, so do some online research to find the ideal one for you, based on features, handling, and price. A Canon Powershot with zoom lens is around 170 pounds new, but there are other used models for less than that. The advantage of digital cameras is you do't have to pay for film or processing. You do it all with your computer (no embarrassing visits to the shop/drugstore to collect your nudes photos!) A zoom lens has a variable focal length so you make your subject (model, or you) closer or further away, depending whether you want a full-length body shot or a head and shoulders close-up. Now when you zoom in for a close-up, the background goes nicely out-of-focus, making the face stand out. Zooming out for a wider angle shot brings the background into focus, so you need to make sure there is nothing 'in the frame' that will draw attention away from the subject, like discarded clothing, food packets, brightly-coloured objects, or heaven forbid, a toilet seat! Imagine what the finished picture will look like before you press the shutter. Would you be proud to hang it on your wall? With auto-focus and automatic exposure you don't have to worry too much about lighting. Never use on-camera flash, unless you are adding a fill-in light to a back-lit subject, say somebody with his/her back to the sun. A camera's exposure system (unless it has spot-metering) will average out the exposure reading, so a person standing against the sun will come out as a silhouette, without some frontal lighting. Window light is wonderful for portraits and nudes. Modern cameras have program settings for portraits which soften skin tones (I used to have various filters in front of my film camera to diffuse the image slightly to give a soft focus, or create a vignette effect). Now, you will need a tripod to attach the camera to, and keep it in place as you try various poses and lighting angles. A cheap one will do. Expensive cameras have remote shutter release systems, but a self-timer will get the job done, when you are the model as well as the photographer. Sofas, chairs and beds are all useful for posing on. For standing poses, a plain curtain can serve as a background (I used to buy remnants of crushed velvet and other fabrics to pin up behind me). If you are to be your own nude model, you need to do some toning up exercises for your muscles. Remove any unwanted body hair, unless you like the hairy look! Look your best, because the picture will be around for a long time. Try a few test shots so that you can see where you are in the frame. You don't have to be dead-centre for body pics, but you don't want your hands or feet to be 'cut off' either. Nude body portraits can be good if the bottom of the frame begins just above the knees, but includes the head. Remember that the tripod should allow you to flip the camera from 'landscape' (horizontal) position, to 'portrait' (upright) position. A drawback to taking 'selfies' is that you may concentrate so much on the technicalities (setting the timer, pressing the shutter) that your face becomes tense. It's happened to me lots of times. Try meditation for a few minutes after you have set everything up, before you start taking some good pictures.
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