Faith's ePortfolio - MMS 173 Assignment 5b: Self-portaiture

MMS 173 Assigment 5b: Self-portraiture

h e a d s h o t

Me, As I am

Ever since I can remember, I was never comfortable in front of a camera. It might have something to do with me never being comfortable in my own skin. Growing up, I was a constant worrier about everything, no matter how small or big it was, and it affected how I viewed the world, and most especially, myself.

I decided to choose this self-portraiture assignment over the 5a assignment because I wanted to prove to myself that I have grown and changed. I wanted to challenge myself to go out of my comfort zone.

I love photographs because they hold memories, but I have so few pictures of myself, so I recently decided to change that. The concept I’m going for is simplicity, softness, and warmth. I wanted to show my authentic self, which actually took quite some time for me to figure out who I truly wanted to be and what I wanted to show.

In this self-portrait, I wanted to show my simplicity and raw self. It took a lot of courage to post this, but I’m happy and satisfied that I did. I didn’t bother to make any extravagant changes or effects because I wanted to show the peacefulness and contentment I now feel with myself after a long while.

If you zoom in, you’ll notice a strand of hair on my face, along with blemishes that I didn’t hide, and my slightly messy hair. I initially took another photo after this one, once I had fixed myself, but this one was my final pick. I think the imperfections emphasized the message I wanted to bring across and also fit my concept of authenticity.

I wanted to show that we are all unique, and our imperfections do not define us. They make us imperfectly perfect.

setup

I actually had trouble finding a space where I could do this assignment properly. I initially did not know where I could set up or what equipment I had and could use for this. There was little space in our home and it was cramped, so I had to improvise. It was a good thing that my sibling offered their room. I moved furniture and things around just so I could get a clear, plain wall as my background. So, my setup for the headshot was me sitting on the floor cross-legged with my back against the wall. I was not able to take an actual photo of my setup, so I provided an accurate illustration of it. The equipment that I used was my phone, a phone stand, and a drawer to elevate the camera. I did not use any lighting equipment as I do not own any, so I just settled for the ambient lighting from the room and window.

camera settings

This photo was taken with an iPhone 13 using the wide camera. I was not able to borrow a much better camera so I had no choice but to use my phone. The settings were 26mm focal length, f/1.6 aperture, ISO 500, and a shutter speed of 1/40 second. The wide aperture helped let in more light, which was helpful as this picture was shot inside the house, and the ISO helped brighten the image without making it look grainy. The shutter speed was just right to keep the photo clear without any motion blur.

post processing

For the post-processing, I did not make any big changes as I wanted to keep it as simple and natural as possible. I did crop the picture to align it to the center and removed some excess space at the top. For the edits, I made some adjustments to enhance the tone and clarity of the image. I adjusted the brightness, contrast, saturation, and especially the warmth of the picture, as it plays a big role in the tone of the output.

c a n d i d s h o t

Within the Pages

When I was brainstorming ideas for where and what I should do for my candid shot, my first thought was books, something to do with books. I’ve always loved books and reading ever since I was in sixth grade, when I got into sci-fi and mythologies. Anyone reading this might wonder how this is supposed to be relevant, but I’ve been in a reading slump for so long, despite calling myself a book lover and bookworm.

It hasn’t just been days, weeks, or even months. I’ve been in a reading slump for years, ever since my last year in high school in 2020, and throughout the pandemic and my time in college in my previous program and university.

Up until recently, about two months ago, I started reading again. Not academic texts or lecture materials, but actual books of different genres that I enjoy in my free time. I'm proud of myself for getting out of that slump. So, for this candid shot, I wanted to show the calmness, softness, warmth, peace, and quiet joy that I feel when I read. It’s like I found a piece of myself again, hidden within the pages.

Books have always been important to me. They feel like a way to travel to different worlds and escape the chaos of everyday life. So I hope that whoever sees this photograph can grasp the tranquility I felt as I transported myself to another world.

I also want to add that the book I used in the photo is my brother’s and was just used as a prop, since most of my paperbacks are at my grandma’s house.

setup

For the setup of my candid shot, it was quite similar to what I did for the headshot. I used the same location and background and kept the same equipment setup. The phone was still placed on a stand and propped up on a drawer to get the right angle. The main difference was my position. I was still sitting on the floor with my back against the wall, but instead of sitting cross-legged like in the headshot, I had my legs pulled up to my chest in a more relaxed and natural pose. I was also holding a book, which was the main element of my concept. The setup was simple but intentional and meant to highlight a quiet, candid moment of me doing something I love.

camera settings

This photo was taken with the same device as the headshot, which was an iPhone 13 using the wide camera. The lens is 26mm with a bright f/1.6 aperture, which helped create a soft background and kept the focus on the subject. The ISO was set to 500 and handled the indoor lighting without getting too grainy. The shutter speed was 1/60 second, enough to keep things clear without any blur.

post processing

For the post-processing, I cropped the photo to center the subject and remove excess space, as the subject was originally positioned slightly to the left. I made minor adjustments to the brightness, slightly increasing it to give the photo a more naturally lit feel. I also adjusted the contrast, saturation, and especially the warmth to create a cozier, softer look that aligns with the overall concept.

r e f l e c t i o n

I really enjoyed this activity because it not only pushed me out of my comfort zone but also helped me practice being more comfortable in front of a camera. It made me realize that I’m capable of capturing meaningful photos, even if I’m the only one who finds them beautiful. I’ve come to appreciate how important and significant every step of the process is, from pre-processing, planning, and setting up to taking the actual shots and doing post-processing. Each step has a real impact on the final outcome. I also realized that even with limited equipment, space, and setup, I can still improvise and create something beautiful or at least meaningful. I can still make magic and convey the message I want to express in the photo in a way that can be seen and felt.

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