Assignment 5b: SELF-PORTRAIT

For this assignment, I used my standard Android phone, a POCO X3 PRO, to take these pictures, utilizing tools such as my phone holder and a small beanbag to provide additional weight for stability.

HEADSHOT

The process of taking this photo was a bit challenging. I was working with limited space, so I had to carefully frame the shot and find a clean, uncluttered background. It was also difficult because I didn’t have any light stands to provide proper lighting, so I had to get creative with what I had. I played around with the ISO and shutter speed to achieve the look I wanted, a warm and dimly lit effect. To enhance that mood, I turned off the lights in the room. It took some trial and error, but I aimed to create a soft, cozy atmosphere in the final image.

I used a 9:16 frame for this shot. I set the ISO to 800 and the shutter speed to 1/100 to help balance the low light. The focus was set at 1.79, and I used flash to add just a bit more light to the scene. I also chose a daylight white balance at around 5,200 Kelvin to keep the tones looking natural and warm.

For the setup, I positioned myself sitting and leaning against our door, using a high chair to match the desired height for the shot, which framed my face down to my chest. I secured my phone in a holder and added a small beanbag for extra stability. I also set a 10-second timer to give myself enough time to get into position.

CANDID SHOT

The process of making this photo was a bit easier compared to the first one. My idea was to capture myself as if I were doing something at night, with the lights off, to set a quiet, almost tired mood. I used my monitor as the main light source to softly illuminate my face. To make it feel more natural, I held a mug as if I were drinking something to stay awake, adding a bit of life to the scene. Everything came together pretty smoothly once I set it all up.

For this shot, I used a landscape frame with the focus set at 1.79 and a shutter speed of 1/80. The ISO was pushed up to 6,400 to handle the low light, and I left the white balance on auto since I didn’t want to add any warm or cool tones to the image. I also chose not to use flash, relying entirely on the monitor’s light to keep the mood soft and natural.

For the setup, I placed my phone holder along with a small beanbag right next to the PC, setting it on top of our cabinet. I cleared off everything that was on it to create a bit more space and keep the area clean for the shot.

Overall, this activity was a mix of being easy and challenging. It might have been a bit easier to shoot outdoors, but the problem was the limited tools I had, which made it hard to set things up properly. Because of that, I decided to do most of it indoors. Even though it took up a lot of time since I had to take several shots to get it right, I still found the activity really interesting and somewhat enjoyed the challenge of brainstorming ways to take the pictures and figuring out how to make each shot work with what I had.

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