April 18, 2009

Self-Portraits....

... ad nauseum. Because it's Self-Portrait week at I Heart Faces. :-)

susan self portraits

But wait! There's more! Here are my self-portraits that include my kiddos!

self-portraits with kiddos


Yeah. I know. I'm only supposed to choose ONE photo for each category. But, since I'm an I Heart Faces contributing photographer, and I'm not eligible to win the contests, I'm thus also not held to the strict requirements to win! Awww, such freedom. ;-)

Would you believe that I've taken all these sp's in just the last three months?!? That almost qualifies me as a narcissist. Well, unless you consider that I've taken in excess of 3000 images in that same time period, which pretty much dilutes the perception of my unreasonable quantity of sp's.

Anywho, a couple more fun/silly images that fall into the same subject matter ...

Here's a picture fellow contributor Marshall Garlington took of me and his beautiful wife Julie doing the self-portrait thang (the resulting image is the first one in the first collage above):

2009-03-14%20at%2016-12-34


Here's a self-portrait gone bad. Even tho I'd put the camera in "auto" mode, which is supposed to focus on the closest item (me), it apparently wasn't able to focus on my glass lens, so instead it found my son way at the end of the hallway...

IMG_9036


One more fun one. I took this shot with my Rebel in a candy store. I'm shooting into one of those round mirrors that hangs up near the ceiling. If you look closely, you can see my husband and boys on the other side of the store (near "3 o'clock" in the mirror):

Picture 138


If you've made it this far, here are my best self-portrait tips:

1. Grow your arms really, really long. (kidding!)
2. Use as wide a lens as you have.
3. Use a smaller aperture (bigger "number") so that you're more likely to be fully in focus.
4. Put your camera in "program" (if you wish to choose your specific aperture) or "full auto" mode. Since you will be the closest subject, it will most likely focus correctly on you.
5. Consider reflective items - mirrors, shiny cars/pianos/teapots/sunglasses whatever.
6. Consider shadow shots. They're totally fun (AND none of your wrinkles show up!!)
7. If taking a group shot, get super close and cozy. If you're not close & cozy, you're gonna need those longer arms I mentioned in #1.
8. Have fun!

Be sure to head over to I Heart Faces this coming week to see a whole slew of self-portraits!



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41 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT!!!

I don't think I even have close to that many portaits of myself, ever LOL.

Thanks for sharing all of those.

B Dad

I Love Purple More Than You said...

I love it! Yay, the pic of you and I made it onto your collage!

I've been ignoring my reader so Marshall told me to come on over and check your site today. Miss you!

Tracy P. said...

So where can I get me summa them long arms?

Rhea said...

I love your collage of self-portraits. Really fun. And creative.

Beth@Pages of Our Life said...

Snickers and Giggles over here. You're too cute Susan! Thanks for those tips now maybe just maybe I can do this. :D

Carebear said...

What a bunch of fun self portraits you've collected!!! I've been working on mine, but boy, are they difficult?! I got a cute shot of me and my baby reflected in my niece's sunglasses that might work, and one of me and my son laying on the floor both kissing the baby's head. I'm not sure. None of mine are as good as any of yours. But I appreciate the tips here (i haven't been using auto, so will try that instead). Hopefully with your advice and examples, I'll be able to create a great self-portrait! Thank you.

Melinda said...

Thanks for the awesome tips!! I've been practicing ALL day :-)

Melinda B

angie {the arthur clan} said...

See?! They are saying that I cheated...but I say that we "not-allowed-to-win-people" are allowed to cheat from time to time. Right?! :)

You rock the self-portraits Susan. I'm really longing for some long arms right now...

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips! :-) oh and I cant believe how many fantastic self-portraits you have . . . I literally could not even find ONE to enter!

tiff said...

I love all of those self portraits and I love your tips even more.

tiarastantrums said...

really great ideas - LOVE the shadow shot

Annette said...

Wow, I think you are the queen of self portraits! Now none of us have the excuse of being the ones behind the camera for why there are no photos of us in the albums!

Fun shots!

Pam D said...

I love the candy store shot! Yum! And NOW I come here and read the shadow shot tip.. AFTER I posted the picture of my relief map of wrinkles! Thanks for the tips.. off to spread some Miracle Gro on my arms!

Shae said...

wow, these all all such fun shots.

Chris said...

i love your entry! you are great!

Angela said...

Love it! My what long arms we have!!

Unknown said...

Wow! You have so many great shots! You are such an inspiration to me! I would love to have such a beautiful collection of self portraits like yours!

Heather said...

You are the self-portrait master!! Wow!! Love all the shots, especially the shadow ones. I'm a big, BIG fan of the shadows, and my husband always thinks I'm crazy. I get really particular about how I look in my shadow too. So silly.

Can't wait for your tutorial! You always have amazing photos!! Especially love the store mirror. Creative!

Rosalyn-Sue said...

I absolutely loved seeing the shot of you taking a self-portrait and the resulting photo above. What a great lesson in perspective! Thanks for sharing!

MRP said...

Great advice - great shots...all of them!

Capturing Sunshine said...

Oh the confidence you exude! Your photos are fantastic...all of them. I appreciate your hints, suggestions, and inspiration this week. I used none of them in my self-portrait (it just didn't work out), but I think I will keep trying. I DID try that arm growing technique...yea, no go!
Seriously, thank you again!

Upstatemamma said...

Thanks for the tips!! I have a bunch of slef portraits that include in my kids. Not to many of jjust me though. :)

Major.Sunshine said...

These are fabulous! Do you ever take a bad shot? (even the mistake is awesome!) I'd have to take a million to get one shot like these (though I blame a cheap camera for half of the problem) Again... FABULOUS!!

kt said...

Susan, I have not commented on your blog for far too long!!

I love this post. there are some fun shots in here :)
and thanks for the tips...

really long arms - check!
now lets see if I can pull off the apeature and the whole focus thing ;)

Katarina said...

Those are great self-portraits! Thanks also for sharing some tips on how to get a 'good' self-portrait!

Through My Own Lens said...

WOW! You're the SP QUEEN!!! And, thanks so much for the advice - Yeah, I'll have to grow my arms longer...I think that's my problem! He he he! Love the shadow shots! I have one of my son and I that I took with my camera phone {gasp} but I should take more...so fun!

MrsW said...

We are not worthy!

Excellent upper arm workout going on with the huge camera :)

Julie Rivera said...

Good golly, you should be judging this week, based upon your obvious expertise in this arena! I love the shadow ones. And the tips. I am working on growing my arms...

The Animator's Wife said...

You just put a giant smile on my face! Love your tips, and well, everything else.

We used to go to church with Marshall and Julie, what a small world, to see Julie is your collage. :) amazing.

4chalseys@blogger said...

You just make me smile! I love how free you are in front of your own camera! You are so lovely and inspirational to me!

Karyn said...

You are the Godess of the SP! I loved looking through your collages and seeing all of the "phases of you" in the last three months. The picture your friend took of you taking a SP is fantastic, I love that she got that moment and shared it with you. Friends with cameras are the best!

lislynn said...

Thanks for the tips! I really hated the idea of this topic but enjoyed actually doing and LOVE having pics of myself with my kids... I'm gonna take these tips and keep working on it!

Tonkamom said...

Love them all!!

Randi said...

These are so fun! I LOVE your light-hearted, creative approach to self portraits. Thanks for sharing :)

Amy @ Living Locurto said...

These are great! You're probably like me, if you don't take a photo of yourself, you'll never be in a shot! ha.

Love the tips and glad to see someone else has a ton of these too. hee!

Anonymous said...

This was an awesomely informative post! And I loved each and every one of your {self}photos! I love how you got creative in the candy store - so cool!

Thanks for the tips and for the lovely comment on my blog!

Unknown said...

You are so fun. I am going to long arm growing exercises right this second : ).

Ter said...

great photos! Thanks for sharing.

Keri said...

What a fabulous and great representation of you! So much fun.

Cathy said...

Those are great! It's hard to believe those are all self-portraits. They look so natural. And beautiful! Thanks for your advice. I wouldn't have thought of practicing this medium, but now I will.

Cathy

Courtney @ splashing grace said...

love the collection of self portraits - fun!