Self-portrait

Daniel Boadu
Feb 28, 2019
5 min read

Updated: Jun 11, 2019

Research:

For this assignment, I decided to look at two fashion photographers Lindsay Adler and Craig Mcdean. I chose to look at these two photographers because I wanted my self-portrait to show represent the fashion industry.

Lindsay Adler:

Lindsay Adler's work has allowed her to rise to the top of her respected industry as a photographer. She is lives in New York City and her fashion editorials have been showcased in multiple fashion/photography magazines such as Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, L'Officiel etc. When looking at her work in general I have noticed that she likes to use colours to create different moods and effects.

Photo credit goes to:(https://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/index/G0000CjfO6shebcw) & (https://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/index/all)

I enjoyed looking at the works done by Lindsay Adlers, I have looked over many of her works that such as those from her homepage (https://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/index/G0000CjfO6shebcw) and her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lindsayadler_photo/?hl=en), the images that I found myself attracted to the most are the images from her hair section of photography, the reason that I found myself so attracted to these photos is due to the steps she takes to ensure that the hair stands out the most among all the other features in the photo. She has done this by changing the saturation of the images and also changing the amount of light that she uses to ensure that certain parts of the body shown in the image are more highlighted than some other parts such as the neck and the lower

body, most of the images show a reflective light on the hair to draw attention to it.

Equipment Research:

I chose to use my Panasonic Lumix DMC-fz200 because of its various settings which will allow me to take a multitude of shots. I also used the Huawei Mate 20 Pro in portrait mode normal camera mode. I used two different types of stands when taking these photos a Universal flexible foam mini tripod and 60-inch lightweight tripod.

When it comes to editing I have chosen to use a combination of Adobe Lightroom CC and Adobe Photoshop CC (2019) to ensure my photos come out in the best quality possible. In my opinion, these two softwares are the most useful when it comes to editing photos because I can use Adobe Lightroom CC to tidy up as well as add further detail to the photo. Then if need be import the image into Adobe Photoshop CC (2019) to add effect and change the photo if need be.

Experiments:

Here are a few experiments that I did which were inspired by Lindsay Adlers. I wanted to draw attention to details such as my hair and skin and use colours to create the same effect that she did.

The two at the bottom are my favourite because I feel that they really show how I've taken Lindsay's use of and used it to portray moods with and without colour.

Craig Mcdean:

Carig is also known for impacting photography within the fashion industry.

Starting in London, Craig was part of the next generation of photographers working for the cultural touchstones i-D and the Face. He currently lives in New York and has photographed major campaigns for such international fashion and beauty brands as Christian Dior, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Estee Lauder, and Calvin Klein (https://www.artandcommerce.com/artists/photographers/Craig-McDean/bio).

Photo credit goes to:(https://www.artandcommerce.com/artists/photographers/Craig-McDean/Portraits)

The intriguing thing about Carig works is that his images are not only high in quality and detail; but also that he's found a way to always portray creativity. Whether that be through the use of colour, poses or image effects. His ability to make his images modern but also vintage to a degree is really enticing.

Equipment Research:

When it comes to editing I have chosen to use a combination of Adobe Lightroom CC and Adobe Photoshop CC (2019) to ensure my photos come out in the best quality possible. In my opinion, these two software are the most useful when it comes to editing photos because I can use Adobe Lightroom CC to tidy up as well as add further detail to the photo. Then if need be import the image into Adobe Photoshop CC (2019) to add effect and change the photo if need be.

Experiments:

My Response:

Self-Portrait Profile Picture:

Heres a picture of what it would look like as self-portrait profile picture.

Image Analysis:

This photo was taken with Huawei Mate 20 Pro in portrait mode.

In this photo, I was trying to imitate Lindsay Adler's use of vibrant colours as well as pose with an intense/serious facial expression like Craig Mcdean had his subjects pose. I did this because I wanted to show the theme of fashion and modelling. I chose to have this as my theme as modelling can seem fun, hence why the vibrant colours. However, there are dark, sinister and intense elements to it. This is why there is an intense shadow over my eyes. It's to represent how the industry can dull you as a person. I chose to have the shadow over my eyes because of the saying "the eyes are the window to the soul." Therefore, the story behind this photo is that behind all the glamour of the modelling industry, there is also the pain and suffering that comes with it too which is what I was attempting to showcase here.

I feel that this theme links with me and shares my story because I have had to deal with depression since I was in year 10 till this date and I would always try to look good as a way of hiding the fact that I struggle with it I also aspire to be a model/designer there for I will be receiving both ends of the stick. I also look serious in this picture as a way of showing that I may seem happy at times but when you look closely at my face, my eyes you can clearly see that something is wrong. This is to further back my inspiration from the quote the eyes are the windows to the soul; what I'm basically saying is that when looking at depressed people they try not only act like life is normal but that their life is great and this is just a cover-up (a lie). Still, the eyes never lie as they reflect the soul (which means how a person really feels) even when the person doesn't want them to. However, you can only see this if you look closely otherwise they appear to be fine but really they're not. This is me and this what this photo reveals about me.

In conclusion, if I was given the chance to redo my assignment I would have taken a lot more experimental shots so that I had more content to choose from. I would like to take these shots in a variety of locations because I feel it would help covey the mood/feeling of the photo.

Inspiration:

Before & After:

(Don't forget to slide to see the full image)

How I did it:

This photo was only edited in Adobe Lightroom cc and was quite easy to edit because I just had to lift the shadow so that my eyes were more visible make it increase, the vibrancy of the photo and place a "bright" filter over it. I then did a general touch on the photo to fix slight lighting issues; I then had to sharpen and fix the clarity of the photo. Once complete I had to get rid of the colour and general grain on the photo.