Self-Portrait

Kind of a Dunidain Ranger look inspired by the techniques of Paul

Dzik who has some brilliant portraits on Photo.net... thank you for

any comments... take care - Glenn++++

perfect executed.. sorry that i rated 6/6 ... that because i cant rate now 7/7..regards Cristian

nice uplight , you don't have the wrinkles of a paul dzik model and no hdr.............great shot,great lighting

Greetings Glenn; I like the look of this shot, with the low lighting from below and the off-center cropping. Very nicely done! Is the lighting a simple small flashlight from below as I suspect? Great Work 7/7

 

Follow Up To Response: Greetings again, and Thank You for telling us about your 'Custom Made' Soft Box; it is amazing, my budget might be able to handle such! (My Custom Rear Fill Lighting came from Home Depot; The huge halogen contractors lights with some used reflector hoods I picked up cheap. But It works!) CUSTOM!

Like the light effect, looks like a great oil painting.

Thank you all! The lighting is actually kind of a home-made soft box - a 1000 watt industrial halogen on the floor covered with a white/clear piece of underlayment for hardwood flooring... funny but true. I am hoping to invest in a softbox kit sometime soon. Thanks again! Glenn++++

Outstanding self-portrait. Excellent in all aspects. Best regards.

A very well done self portrait. Looks more like Indiana Jones :-) The use of the light & its direction makes one think that you are in some kind of dark tunnels. Thanks for the tip.

I like it..beautiful..

Hello dear Norris :) you are very handsome! great sharp and clear self. superb light too :)

 

Biliana

Thank you all again! Cherlyn, very inciteful about the tunnel-like lighting... that is exactly the look I wish for. The idea was to create the look of an adventurer exploring a dark tunnel. I am heavily influenced by fantasy - Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons etc. - and I hope to do a whole album along those lines. I wish I were able to shoot this one with some props, perhaps a flaming torch or a sword, but not yet... ++++

Or maybe you are Skywalker... ;-))

Good work Glenn, the light, the texture, they are just perfect, the only problem is the model, just kidding... Great shot my friend, to me 7/7 (and the rate 6/6 you know why)

Hi Glenn,

 

Not famous, just a beginner... ;-)

excellent !

 

I'm doing a series on self portrait now also !

it is not the most easy thing to do,

 

erwin

Erwin, I would say that it is the MOST difficult thing to do - took me probably a year and a half before I was able to create an image that felt like ME... Donibane, you are famous!

Glen, by the book portrait and as previously said just marvelous use of lighting. Liking the outer glow around the hood, focused sight, details on almost every part of the picture. You've done an extreme job here. Profound congratulations, amigo.

Perfection!!

I just saw your edit about the softbox... mine was Home Depot too - probably $15 but before everyone gets too excited please remember that you still have to do work with curves etc. and also - Please try to support your local small independant business before you give more money to the Corporation! *wink* - Oh, one more thing... Barry (or anyone else), is it 100% confirmed that Paul Dzik uses HDR?

Very nice work, Glenn! Best regards, Ruud.

The image sets an incredible mood. Some what mysterious and a little demented. I like it. What it reminds me of is a painting I saw of a ships captain in stormy seas , eyes affixed and scanning forward for trouble. The glow from the instrument panel shining on the sweat from the lower lip and brow and face allowing for deep shadows to excentuate the steely expression of a man on a mission. Regards Anthony

Thank you both for finding my image a week after the post... it means alot that work still impresses. Anthony, I appreciate the words - that intensity plus the sense of creating a character with a story are what I wanted here. Thank you! Glenn++++

I thought it was one of your HDR works! I am trying to figure out lighting too (using household lamps is very difficult) Does the construction halogen not melt anything you put over it? What was your exposure time on this? If you don't mind me asking? Thank you! This is a fantastic portrait!

Well, yes I figured out that you have to be pretty careful with those homemade lights - I blew one bulb when I had the light covered up too much and so I have learned to keep sufficient airflow. As for hdr, I have tried using hdr on 1, 2, and 3 blended exposures but I have not been able to figure out how to make it work on these closeup portraits. Sometimes I can tonemap one shot and apply hdr at around 20%... However, for this I actually discovered a technique by accident. I call it 'pixel displacement' but it has nothing to do with the displacement filters in photoshop. I am going to hang on to this secret though until I learn a little more... hehehe. Thank you for your interesting questions! Glenn

Well this "accident" resulted in a wonderful portrait! Thanks for the tip on the construction lights!

Glenn, this is so cool. You know it looks a little like a wax museum version of you. The way the light plays off your skin is interesting, but quite a good composition. You definitely got the cave/tunnel mood set.