Self portrait...

[dwaugh]

I decided to take my own senior photo for the yearbook, so I did it today. It took me a while, and after a while I didnt care how my hair looked, it's always a bit messy. Is the photo any good for a first time try at such a shot? (I used rear flash mode, shutter speed of 2 and aperture 6.3, and the timer (and by the way, I really dont do portraits on average. This is actually my first portrait like this)

[Don Schaeffer]

Colors are pretty muted. May need more contrast for darker blacks.

[dwaugh]

Colors are pretty muted. May need more contrast for darker blacks.

There isnt any black in the photo except for shadows and the tiny bit on my shirt in the lettering. I didnt add much contrast, so before I submit it I plan on adding more.
EDIT: I added more and it looks much better.

[Coastal Flyer]

I think you did a great job; background colors are very nice. Wonderful to see a photography buff at such a young age. Many happy years of shooting, to you!

CF

P.S. My son is going to a costume party tonight as Calvin. I miss Calvin. I wish Waterson had come back these many years later and created Zits, Calvin as a teenager.

[dwaugh]

Thanks. I wanted to find a good background that would relate to me (outdoors) and give good contrast and color.
Calvin and Hobbes, for me, has always made for a good avatar pic.
My goal in taking this pic myself was to get one of comperable quality to all the others, and not have to go to another photographer and pay a bundle.

[Ronnoco]

Your work displays a lot of natural talent. Keep at it!

Ronnoco

[gahspidy]

I think this is not bad, and with a contrast increase will most likely look much improved. Good choice of background, and lighting looks fine. I think though, that your head is too close to the top of the frame ( can be fixed in PS) and you have included too much of your body. A crop from the bottom making this an almost square picture looks much better.
btw, good work on your web site images. Keep it up

[dwaugh]

I think this is not bad, and with a contrast increase will most likely look much improved. Good choice of background, and lighting looks fine. I think though, that your head is too close to the top of the frame ( can be fixed in PS) and you have included too much of your body. A crop from the bottom making this an almost square picture looks much better.
btw, good work on your web site images. Keep it up

Yeah, my head is a bit close to the top of the photo but after some time that became the least of my worries, as long as my head was fully in the pic with some spare room. Also, the yearbook photo will be 1.5" by 2", so this means that the image will be cropped and will have less of my body in it (I just didnt crop it before posting it here). Right now it is, in comparing width to height a 2/3 relationship (this image here is 600x902). So the easy way I see it is if it were, right now 2"x3", .5" would be cropped width-wise and 1" would be cropped in the hight. It will look better in the end, and I will post it here in a day or so.