Creative self-portraits: The Photography News Podcast #3

With no other subject available during lockdown, why not turn the camera on yourself? Self-portraits don’t have to be limited, either, as discussed in episode three of The Photography News Podcast – there’s boundless creative potential to be had.

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody’s face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” – Duane Michals

I have always admired and enjoyed the work of American photographer Duane Michals, and back in the seventies, I shot several photo sequences inspired by his work. Innovative self-portraits often featured in his work and my image is thanks to his influence.

I had a Nikon D850 with Tamron 90mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod and, right next to it on a lighting stand, was a Rotolight Neo LED light set to 100%. This was in front of a large mirror in my living room. For exposure, I used manual exposure mode setting 1/60sec at f/11 and ISO 400, which meant the room was nicely underexposed. I manually focused on a finger positioned where I intended my left eye to be and took a few shots. I processed the Raws in Lightroom and for the mono conversion used the Film Noir 3 preset in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

If you haven’t heard The Photography News Podcast yet, you’re missing out on a wealth of techniques, knowledge and insight. Across the three episodes to date, we’ve covered a host of techniques that can be done at home, including dyes in water, editing, star trails, macro photography and much more.

You can listen now on the website, or on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Email in with your questions, suggestions or stories at [email protected]