Self Portrait
This page is about the self portrait part of the brief.
The images shown on this page have been scaled down and quality reduced in order to reduce download times. Click on an image to see a larger version
Proposal
I intend to take a portrait of myself with my notebook computer, as I spend a lot of time on it; earning money, listening to music and communicating with my friends.
I will use the black background and studio lights in the new media studio; take several photographs and then pick the best one.
Research
The photographs for the self portrait will be taken by Tom Walters using his own digital camera as he knows how to use it better than he does mine.
Web sites I found useful:
- Jeanne Ivy's Self-Portrait Page - Interesting web site on the different kinds of self portraits, why people create them and how they benefit them.
- Self-Portrait Day - Good web site which showcases six different self portraits every day.
- Point & Shoot: How to Shoot Self Portraits - Useful web site with information on shooting self portraits.
Planning
The photographs will be optimised, be a maximum of 500 x 500 pixels and will be presented on this web site.
Tom took several different photographs of me; I then chose the best three which I have displayed below. I have commented on each, and will pick the best one to choose as my final image.
Image 1
- Shot straight on.
- The notebook computer hides a lot of my body, and makes me look like I have no arms.
- A little bit too much light coming from the right.
Image 2
- Shot from an angle.
- More interesting than Image 1 as can see more of me and my arms.
- Well lit, but still a little bit too much light coming from the right.
Image 3
- Shot from an angle.
- More intense lighting than the other two images.
- Left side of face too dark.
- Studio light takes up a lot of space in the picture, but it could be edited out.
After reviewing the above images I decided to reject Image 1 because a lot of my body and arms where hidden, therefore it lacked interest.
I then had to decide between Image 2 & 3. I liked the more intense lighting of Image 3, but the left side of my face was too dark, therefore I have chosen Image 2.
Original
This is the original image taken from the camera.
Noise Reduction
The original image contained a little bit of visible noise. This is not very evident in the images on this web site, as they have ben scaled down and the quality reduced to reduce download times. You can see the reduction in visible noise better on the high resolution images which I can send you if you contact me.
To reduce the visible noise, I used a program called Neat Image.
Neat Image is a digital filter designed to reduce visible noise and grain in digital photographic images. It is a tool for owners of digital cameras, flatbed and slide scanners; and is for use by both professional photographers, and digital image processing enthusiasts.
I opened up the original image in the program, download a device profile which matched Tom's digital camera and then applied it.
Adjust Levels
I adjusted the levels to make the image slightly darker using the Levels command in Macromedia Fireworks 8. Again, this change is not very evident in the images on this web site, but is more evident on the high resolution images which I can send you if you contact me.
Crop Image
I decided to crop the image to get rid of the light in the upper right corner and the desk on the left.
I did this by selecting the portion of the image I wanted to keep and using the Crop Document command in Macromedia Fireworks 8.
Final Piece
Final Piece
This photograph is my final piece. It has been enhanced by reducing noise, adjusting levels and cropping the image.
I believe it effectively conveys my personality as it shows me using my notebook computer which I spend a lot of time on.
Review
Everything went to plan whilst I was doing this part of the brief.
I think that the final piece could have been better if I made more use of different lighting effects to add more interest to the photograph.
