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i have never done a self portrait before. i was feeling f'ing exhausted tonight. mother and baby have a cold, long, long days followed by long nights. i wanted to communicate that emotion of weariness. (but of course at the same time producing an effective photograph with good balanced lighting.).

sb600 bounced off kitchen cupboard to my right. sb800 bounced off ceiling to my left. used the 70-200VR to fill the frame.

honest comments appreciated on lighting, composition and whether this carried what i wanted. grazi !

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10435080@N00/863597985/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/863597985_f2f8586c2a_o.jpg" width="800" height="658" alt="Leave me be" /></a>

It most certainly does work - the sense of exhaustion shows through

Wow Chris, a very powerful, emotive image!

thanks.

do you think my hands look overexposed ?

Rooz wrote:thanks.

do you think my hands look overexposed ?

No, they look brighter than your face, but certainly not over exposed from my point of view.

I like it. Good work.

Is it just me or do other people have trouble with pics hosted by flickr or smugmug not appearing within the thread? Funnily enough they do appear in the "Topic Review" when composing a reply?

OS X 10.4.10 on a G4 iBook in Safari 2.0.4 (it's been happening for months now).

EDIT: sorry to go feel free to PM me if you'd prefer

beetleboy wrote:I like it. Good work.

Is it just me or do other people have trouble with pics hosted by flickr or smugmug not appearing within the thread? Funnily enough they do appear in the "Topic Review" when composing a reply?

OS X 10.4.10 on a G4 iBook in Safari 2.0.4 (it's been happening for months now).

EDIT: sorry to go feel free to PM me if you'd prefer

Yeah I am having the same problem! but once I have made the first reply it is there in the main thread! STRANGE!!!

Geoff wrote:

Rooz wrote:thanks.

do you think my hands look overexposed ?

No, they look brighter than your face, but certainly not over exposed from my point of view.

i would've preferred them to be the same gritty darkness. did i need to have the flash's further away or at a different angle ? i'm very new/ green to flash photography and i must say, lighting is fascinating me. i really want to learn how to do it properly.

This is a great shot, shows exactly what you wanted it to.

Your hands do look brighter which makes them stand out but as they are in a 'praying for help' kind of pose, I think it adds to the emotion of the image.

It would be interesting to see what suggestions come forward re lighting changes and the results, there are a lot of very smart people on this forum when it comes to stuff like that.

Cheers,
Elena

You have two options for darker hands, number one is probably the easiest - fix it in photoshop either with some good burning or select the hands and apply a curve to them.

However, if you're more of a "photographic-craft" person you may prefer to do it in camera in which case, try 'flagging' your flashes. Use objects (preferably black card) to block the lighting from hitting your hands.

I've heard a great story about an old school lighting expert; when asked how he justified his costs he said "My lighting is free, but I charge for the shadows!". It's far too easy to simply "light" a scene, the difficulty is in controlling it to achieve your desired look. You've already nailed the most important part - you know what you want - I've met far too many art-director's that can't even get that step right

i'd prefer to get the lighting right without PP. not cos i'm a purist or anything, just part of my learning curve.

Good man

Awsome photo - I think you have achieved what you stated you wanted to. Well done.

Fantastic evocative shot as already said. I wonder if the hand thing isn't just a function of light but is also because they are more in focus.

good point. i tried to focus on my left eye but its pretty hard using just a remote.

the reason i don;t like the hands lighter is that i think it turns it into the focal point and could be interpreted as praying rather than a "dark moment" if that makes any sense.

anyway...in my quest to seek the light i consumed a few "amber doctors" today and came up with an idea. it is within anyone's reach so long as you are prepared to have a few...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10435080@N00/869315974/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/869315974_249afa78b6_o.jpg" width="500" height="800" alt="Home-made Lightbox" /></a>

Ingredients:
1 x case of Corona
1 x tape
1 x baking paper

tools:
tape
scissors
sb800 + flash stand
old bodgy tripod

Recipe:
Remove all Corona beer from box
Consume Corona
staple baking paper inside box to line box interior. (waxy side facing up)
Consume Corona
cut top of box out to leave large opening for face of lightbox
Consume Corona
trace head of sb800 onto other side of box
Consume Corona
cut opening to insert sb800; cut opening to tightly fit
Consume Corona
tape sheet of baking paper to large opening
Consume Corona
insert sb800 into box from small opening
Consume Corona

Project complete.

Continue to consume Corona

Stubbsy's right, the hands are more in focus which is taking away from the effect you are after.
If you don't want the appearance of 'praying', maybe try your hands in a different position? Keep the index fingers straight and fold the rest or something like that.

Good luck with the Corona box, could catch on

Powerful image Rooz and well executed. I agree with Stubbsy's comment re plane of sharpness.
cheers
marco