Me too, but I don't miss the wait for the film to be developed...I'm all for instant gratification...or DELETED!...lolOriginally Posted by Leah Lynn
Me too, but I don't miss the wait for the film to be developed...I'm all for instant gratification...or DELETED!...lol
I don't wear women's clothes, I wear MY clothes !
There are 1000+1 answers to this question , i am a prof fashion photographer and Even for me self portraits are not the easiest thing in the World. To do. i need to see the image through my lens , is not easy as i know how i want it to look like but i have to guess from the Other side of the camrea how to stand,sit pose etc. Relaxing and Being natural is The key to succes's,
In my time i have seen guys/ girls's with enough equipment to fil a Van that produce rubbbish and People with a 50 pound Company that produce stunning images , YES gear does help but it goes Down to the eye And the person pushing the Button.
My advice is to Read the advice above ( of cause there are lots of dos and donts) but there is no subsitute for learning by doing + its fun , so just take it easy and just experiment and take lots of photos and try and remember what you do . Then all of a sudden things Will all Fall into place and more and more of your photos Will become keepers,
I'm surprised nobody suggested this, but photo editing software on a computer will go a long way towards ending up with good photos. Rather than a lot of experimenting trying to get the correct distance from the camera to fill the frame, just take the shots and then crop them on the computer.
Good photo editing software will also allow you to change color balance, contrast, etc. And erase things you didn't realize would end up in the photo such as that lamp that seems to be growing out of your head.
If you really want to take good photos, invest $15 or so in a good book on photography. Study it.
[SIGPIC]http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=82706&dateline=137762 0356[/SIGPIC]Linda
My best advise is to use a tripod and a remote trigger to take the picture when you are ready.
I just got a new camera myself and a tripod. The camera has so many settings and I just can't seem to find the ones that make a great pictures. I guess trial and error is the best way plus gives you an excuse to take even more pictures
This is where I think I am messing up. I take most of my pictures in front of a window (most neutral spot in the house with some cropping) and maybe I should have the blinds shut though I thought the extra light may help it may actually be the reason that the colors change a lot.
Last edited by ~Joanne~; 02-02-2013 at 11:16 AM.
Flip Flops were made for Beaches & Bath Houses, We have neither in 2017. Lose the flip flops!
Hi Jennifer
Thank you at least I've got my own photo now. Not too good but at least now I can go away and take some more.
Maria
No, you don't. Repeat, often.God I miss my 35 mm SLR's!
Unless you are doing production work for publication, you don't need the very fine grain of the negative, if you can even find the film these days. You also don't need to take your film down to the processor, print the negatives, dodge or burn...throw away an afternoons work because you had the wrong exposure or white balance setting.
I have a Nikon D90 and shoot in RAW mode for everything. I don't have to worry about exposure, white balance, hue/tint, cropping...12.3 Mp and Photoshop with a RAW converter gets rid of any desire to ever have to load a roll of film into a camera.
When writing the next chapter in your life, start with a pencil and eraser - my first page as Miki is full of eraser marks.
For those who already have a digital camera, [and I know this is going to sound a bit silly] READING the manual for just a half hour... At least then, you might realize how many "special situations" there are out in the world that our eyes are able to handle with ease. That's what ALL those different symbols are for on many cameras, fireworks, portrait, snow skier, etc. Some cameras might just have the word SCENE where YOU then select the proper symbol. Those are there because IF you leave the camera in full auto mode, it MIGHT take a pic that can be edited to "decent" but you will get a much better pic [to work with] IF you TELL the camera just WHAT special condition it is looking at. NO camera at ANY price can recognise all of these "special" lighting conditions.
The big problem with pics comes because NO camera, regardless of price, sees "things" the way Humans do. Our eyes are constantly/continously making adjustments every second they are open UNLESS we have our eyes LOCKED on something, say a tv or book.
One more thing...
Get CLOSER and/or zoom. One of the biggest mistakes made is not getting close enough.
Don't forget all that color printing in the darkroom to get the desired effect.
A 10"X8" piece of paper cost a dollar once and that was expensive, let alone the chemicals at the right temperature.
I have SLR digitals and good ol' Photoshop also.
To get a nice color enlargement that was not really that sharp unless done on large format film could cost $20.
Now I can buy 50 pieces of A4 inkjet paper for about $20.
Work on your elegance,
and beauty will follow.
Google: resize.it It's free and very easy to use!
I use it for all my published photos, which I shrink to about 360x whatever. Every site accepts that size. They look good and can't be "stolen" effectively!
Best advice for pics? Practice, practice, practice!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
All the advice is really welcome Girls. Now all I need is some time alone in the house and then I can shoot away. Looking forward to posting some pics when they're ready xxx
A digital SLR camera would probably take the best pics but bridge cameras are a bit cheaper & can still work pretty good. I use a Fuji S7000 which is ok but it eats the batteries way too quickly. I tried a Nikon 3100 DSLR too, but the flash is too bright & makes me close my eyes
Like everyone says a tripod & a self timer can help as that way you don't need to hold the cameraHave fun!
Easy cheap solution, which works with any camera, is to drape a tissue over the flash. This softens and diffuses the light. Just be sure the tissue doesn't cover the lens too.
Jenn A --- nothing fancy, just me.
That does it for me, too. A remote is much more convenient than a timer, and they're quite cheap. Ditto the bazillion thing. Professional photographers have known this for years, especially artsy folk like fashion photographers, which is close to what we're after. Snap, snap, snap while the subject strikes different poses; some will turn out great, while many will have unfortunate angles, lighting, or just a moment before or after the perfect expression and look. Digital makes this all so easy and cheap compared to film.
A great aid is monitoring on a TV or small monitor. Most cameras have a video/AV out that can connect directly to the yellow jacks on a monitor/tv and let you see what you've composed before the snap and the result right after. It basically allows you to be two places at once, behind the lens and in front of it, but instead of moving the camera alone, you usually move the subject (yourself) to frame the image. Hiding the remote in your hands is easy.
So: charge the battery; put it on a tripod; rig a video monitor with an extension cable so you can move the tripod around; set it to remote control, autofocus, and autoflash (unless you want to experiment with natural light--hold still if you do); be aware of backgrounds (plain is almost always better than cluttered); find your perfect smile; and fill up the memory card. Card reader or USB cable to upload; review and delete at will. Save your treasures, but be careful of where and how if your computer isn't real secure (family members, etc.). Thumb drives are a good storage device, as are CDs/DVDs for archiving, or a standalone external hard drive that you control, as they can all be completely disconnected from the computer when not in use.
Then you can change avatar pics often to reflect your mood or show off a new look from time to time...
Almost any software that will display images has a sizing control. I seem to recall that the image manager on this site will re-size anything not exceeding 600 x 500 pixels, but I size my avatars to 150 pixels and they come out fine. I usually use Preview, part of the Mac OS package, but Photoshop and iPhoto can do the same thing. Be sure to crop the images appropriately. For example, to take a head-and-shoulders view from a longer shot, select the desired part of the image and crop the rest out, before final re-sizing.
A couple of layers of a tape like Scotch Magic (plastic, not cellophane) will also soften the flash if it's too harsh. Bringing up the ambient room lighting will have a similar effect by making the subject and background lighter to begin with.
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Last edited by Candice Mae; 02-11-2013 at 03:09 AM.
Definitely will make some adjustments to taking pictures of myself
Live, Laugh, Love.........
Ditto! The self timer with multiple exposures is a great way to take pics--the tripod is an absolute must!
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaytojillian/
I wanted to add...you CAN do all the high tech stuff, but don't forget about the simple solutions too. You can position the camera on a pillow or shelf, use the self timer without needing to buy anything that you don't already have. It is easier with a tripod, flash, remote relase etc... but one trick I use is a handheld mirror...hold the mirror in position to see what the camera will see and form the perfect smile...move the mirror and click. Works almost every time.
Chickie
Best way to do this is to just film yourself. Then download and install a program called "Faststone", which is a screen capture program. You can take stills from the video you took, just pause the video on a frame you like and use faststone to grab the screen. It even has a crop tool you can use.
Lots of good advice above, Fuschia. I love photography. If you are using a cell phone--it may automatically use a long slow exposure under low light conditions (indoor). This means even a slight movement will result in blur. You may be able to find the exposure speed the phone used in the metadata. Likewise photos under low light may be pixilated as the camera tries to compensate for low light conditions.
So...take you photos outside in the shade for best light conditions. Green bushes in the background work nicely.
Inside, use your phone's self-timer--since it will not fit on a tripod (usually) place the phone in a coffee mug and stuff in a paper towel to hold it straight. Turn on lots of lights. Sit the mug on a counter or shelf or other support. Use a low chair or sit on the floor to get your face in the picture.
Also, if you have a flip phone. Stand it on a table partially open like a place card so it becomes its own tripod. Use the self timer. The pics come out upside down--but any photo program will flip them. And most photo programs will color-correct for the excess yellow caused by indoor lights.
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